Whirlwind of Danger
by UndoubtedlyTheWine
Summary: Both had parted ways & decided to move on. When a high profile murder case comes her way, Shreya comes across him the last person she had ever wanted to see again and she begins to doubt her own feelings. As their past romantic relationship and misunderstandings complicate matters, Shreya finds herself facing the dangers lurking in the seemingly harmless case.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

'May I come in sir?' she asked.

'Come in Shreya. Please have a seat.' said DCP Malhotra.

'Thank you sir' she said and sat.

'So, what's your decision?' he asked.

'I am ready to work on the case sir. There was no way I could refuse it. I cannot miss such an important opportunity. I am ready to take transfer to CID Mumbai' said Shreya.

'Good. You have previously worked there so I guess you will be quite comfortable' said DCP Malhotra.

'Yes' said Shreya.

'Okay. I will talk to ACP Pradyuman. You will report on Monday that is after two days.' said DCP Malhotra.

'Okay. Thank you sir. I had never thought I would get such a big opportunity after a gap of almost two years' said Shreya.

'Passage of time does not diminish a person's talent Shreya. I believe in you. I know you are an brave officer and you would be able to give full justice to the case' said DCP Malhotra.

'Thank you sir. I assure you that I will never let you down' said Shreya and stood up to leave.

When she was at the door, DCP Malhotra called her back, 'One moment, Shreya.'

'Yes sir?' she said.

'I've heard that you were enquiring about the officers presently working in CID Mumbai' he said. Though he sounded casual, she knew it was a pressing question.

Shreya stared at him looking slightly uncomfortable.

'Uh... it was... just a routine thing. I mean I had heard that some new officers had joined while some of the previous ones have left. It was nothing important. I just wanted to know with whom I would be working.' she said.

'Okay' said DCP Malhotra looking slightly unconvinced with her explanation.

Before he could ask any more questions, Shreya said, 'Sir, may I leave?'

'Yes indeed. Good Luck' he said with a swift smile.

 **O-o-o-o**

 **Two Days Later -**

 **10 am CID Bureau, Mumbai.**

'Inspector Shreya reporting sir'

'Shreya? Welcome! Welcome! It is my pleasure to see you. Long time! How are you?' asked ACP Pradyuman jovially.

Shreya noticed that he had a lot less hair than she remembered and he indeed looked old and tired. But he wore the same colourful and unusual patterned ties and the same smile which came from his heart.

'I am fine sir. How are you?' asked Shreya smiling.

'I am fine. Nearing retirement' he laughed.

'Oh my God! Abhijeet sir, Freddy sir, Pankaj look who it is! Shreya!' said Purvi dashing to meet her.

'Hello Shreya Mam' said Jaywanti smiling.

'Hi Jaywanti. How are you doing?' asked Shreya.

'I am doing good. Thank you' she said.

Shreya felt nostalgic to see the same old smiling faces. She was so happy to see them. She suddenly realised how much she had missed CID in last two years.

She looked around to find lot more new faces. They were hovering awkwardly in the background. ACP Pradyuman formally introduced them to Shreya.

Shreya wanted to talk to Purvi and Abhijeet and the rest of her friends but ACP Pradyuman cleared his throat announcing that they needed to get back to work.

'Sir, just a small request, can I go and see Dr Salunkhe and Dr Tarika? I will be back in five minutes' said Shreya.

'Sure. Go on' said ACP Pradyuman.

When Shreya came back to the bureau ten minutes later, ACP Pradyuman beckoned her inside his cabin.

A young officer almost Shreya's age was already seated inside. Shreya didn't recognise him.

'Shreya this is Officer Sameer. He will be working on this case along with you.' said ACP Pradyuman.

'Hello' she said to Sameer exchanging a formal handshake with him.

'The last week has indeed been hectic. Two simultaneous high profile murder cases! DCP told me to postpone my retirement! And the media coverage is making the matters even worse. Anyway I have assigned two chief officers on each case. You and Sameer will be the chief officers handling the case of the famous model's murder. Both of you have similar experience so you can work separately and then co-ordinate between yourselves accordingly. I have assigned Jaywanti and Pankaj to this case who would be working under you. I won't be around mostly, I have work at headquarters. So I will have a senior Officer to supervise your work. Both of you will report to him. Daya is coming back from Delhi next week. If he doesn't have any other commitments, I will assign him this case because Abhijeet is already supervising the other one.' said ACP Prdayuman.

Shreya froze hearing Daya's name. The thing we she had feared the most, the thing because of which she had hesitated to take up this case was actually happening.

The prospect of facing Daya again was distressing. She had argued with herself that she had forgotten the past and moved on. But had she really? At that moment she really doubted herself. Had she been foolish to come back to CID Mumbai? She had thought nothing had changed when she had arrived but she knew things were very different. How on the earth was she going to concentrate on work with him constantly around?

'-Shreya are you listening?' ACP Pradyuman said breaking her trail of thoughts.

'Yes, I am following you sir. Sorry.' she said softly.

'The murder took place two days ago and Sameer has been investigating it. He will fill you in the details and then you guys co-ordinate and start working right away. Remember this case is not like the usual ones. The victim was very famous and there is a lot of pressure from the media as well as from our seniors. We have to work our asses off and solve this case as soon as possible, got it?' asked ACP Pradyuman.

'Yes sir' said Shreya and Sameer. Shreya was amazed at his energetic attitude even at this age. Looking at his energy level and excitement, even she felt the passion, the drive to solve the case.

'I will not tolerate any unnecessary delays or excuses. You will submit weekly reports to me regarding how the case is progressing whether I am present here or not. And I will speak to Daya by this evening and let you know' said ACP Pradyuman.

'Got it, sir' said Sameer.

'All right. Get to work then' said ACP Pradyuman and waved them off.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

They set to work immediately. Shreya went through the basic report of the murder of the well known model Jia D'souza while Sameer filled her in the information which he and his team had gathered so far.

'Jia D'souza's body was discovered by her Chauffeur. He came to pick her up at usual time on Monday morning but she didn't come. He rapped the door several times and tried to call her but she didn't answer. He found it quite unusual for Jia never behaved that way. He called the neighbours for help who broke open her front door and discovered her body.' said Sameer.

'Has the postmortem report arrived yet?' asked Shreya.

'No. That will still take two days or so. The possible motive for murder is unknown as nothing seems to be stolen. The cash, jewellery, safe was all intact. What's even more interesting is that Jia might have known her killer for there were no signs of forced entry' said Sameer.

'Okay. So we can rule out the possibility of robbery for now. Revenge? It might be the motive' said Shreya.

'Yes. That's a likely possibility' said Sameer.

'Okay, so what else have you got in last two days?' asked Shreya.

'It has been a headache, to tell you the truth. My earlier case report was yet to be submitted so I was tied up at the headquarters the entire first day. Yesterday, we examined the crime scene and prepared the basic report. So we haven't started much yet, to be honest.' said Sameer.

'Okay. I think we should work separately and then discuss at the end of the day of we find anything interesting and important.' said Shreya.

'Yes. That will do' said Sameer.

'So, the first thing that I have planned for today is to make enquiry with the Fashion Designer with whom her current project was underway. I will take Pankaj along. Jaywanti is taking care of the CCTV footage' said Sameer.

'I would like to start from the ground level. So I will visit the crime scene and then I will hold enquiries with her chauffeur. I think we should dig up her background in detail if we are considering revenge as the motive for murder. She might have hurt someone or someone might be jealous of her success' said Shreya.

'Yeah, you are right. See you later then' said Sameer.

 **O-o-o-o**

After work, Shreya caught up with Purvi and Abhijeet for dinner.

'Tarika couldn't come. She had severe headache so she went home in the afternoon.' said Purvi.

'Oh. That's okay. She should rest. We can always catch up later' said Shreya.

'How are you Shreya? Enjoyed States?' asked Abhijeet.

'I am fine sir. Frankly speaking, my mind wasn't at peace over there. I was with my family but I terribly missed work. I missed you all and CID. So I decided to come back. Mom thought it was a bad idea but she knew I wasn't going to back off so ultimately she dropped it' said Shreya.

'And what about... Siddharth?' asked Abhijeet.

'We haven't met for some time. He is busy with work. I attended his promotion party recently but we haven't been in touch yet' said Shreya.

'Does he know that you are here?' asked Purvi.

'No. I didn't tell him. It doesn't matter really. No sort of relation is possible between us now.' said Shreya.

'But you said you have moved on!' said Abhijeet indignantly.

'Yes sir but we can't be together after I broke off my engagement with him. We don't have hard feelings but it's not possible to pretend that everything is normal. I am ready to meet a new people. But this time it certainly won't be an arranged marriage. I told my parents that I will chose my life partner on my own.' said Shreya.

'Why are you still wearing that engagement ring then?' asked Purvi.

'I didn't want to attract unnecessary attention. But you, Abhijeet sir, Tarika and Freddy sir have kept our secret haven't you?' asked Shreya.

'Yeah, we have. Daya doesn't know anything about you and Siddharth. Initially after you went abroad, he would ask me sometimes whether I was in touch with you and whether you and Siddharth had got married. But I told him I wasn't in touch with you and then he dropped the topic. He never brought it up after that but I saw him checking your facebook profile secretly' said Abhijeet.

'Oh.' said Shreya awkwardly.

'When ACP sir told us that he was going to ask you to handle this case, we thought you would refuse right away' said Purvi.

'I was a bit hesitant in the beginning. But then I thought, such an important career building opportunity might never come again. My seniors had shown their trust in me and I couldn't refuse it. And then I thought if I have moved on, I shouldn't have any problem in working alongside Daya sir. So I decided to come back' said Shreya.

'That was a wise decision Shreya. I am happy that you are not colliding personal issues with work. That's the golden rule to maintain professionalism' said Abhijeet.

'Thank you sir' said Shreya.

'Really, it's great to have you back' said Purvi.

'I am happy to meet you all too. I am glad I came back. Well, how is Daya sir?' asked Shreya.

'He is good. He was in Delhi for work. We haven't seen much of him since last month. But now that the case is solved, he will be back soon. He doesn't know you are here. I haven't spoken to him since you arrived.' said Abhijeet.

'He might know. ACP sir is going to assign the Jia's murder case to him. He was going to call Daya sir tonight and ask him if he is ready to take the case' said Shreya.

'Oh okay' said Abhijeet.

'Anyway, ACP sir seemed really pissed having got his retirement postponed' said Shreya smiling.

'Ah! He was really looking forward to a long holiday. I guess he had even booked tickets for the Europe trip. And one week before his retirement, these two cases turned up. Then he got a call from DCP requesting him to postpone his retirement. He obviously couldn't refuse' said Abhijeet.

'Hmm... How your case progressing?' asked Shreya.

'We have got three suspects. We are tailing them. Still,there is a lot to do' said Purvi.

'How did you find your new work partner?' asked Abhijeet.

'Sameer? He seems very easygoing and friendly. And he knows what he is doing' said Shreya.

'Yes. He is an experienced man. Joined CID a few months after you left' said Abhijeet.

They gossiped a bit more after dinner, slurping icecreams at their favourite ice cream parlour.

When Shreya reached home, she was too tired and decided to go to bed right away. As she was pulling the bed covers, her cellphone beeped. It was a text message from ACP Pradyuman. It read - _I spoke to Daya about the case. He has agreed to work on it as he has no other commitments. You can expect him to come to Mumbai day after tomorrow. Good Night._


	3. Chapter 3

**_A/N - Thanks for the reviews guys!_** ** _  
Silvermist Ruhi - I hadn't intended to "hurt" grammatically though :p Anyway keep reading and reviewing!_**

 **Chapter 3**

When Shreya came to the bureau next day morning, Jaywanti gave her some disappointing news.

'Mam I have checked the CCTV footage but it seems our killer was too smart. He must have gained entry into the victim's by some other way. Jia's Chauffeur dropped her home at 2 am on Monday. After that nobody arrived or left Jia's house. Then the same Chauffeur came for her usual pickup time at 8.30 am but Jia didn't open the door. He knocked several times and tried calling her. Finally he called the neighbours and they broke open the door and discovered her dead' said Jaywanti.

'Hmm. Okay I hadn't really expected the killer to be that dumb anyway. He must have obviously been aware that a famous personality like Jia must have fitted CCTV cameras' said Shreya.

'Good Morning' Sameer walked in, smiling at them.

'Morning, You got anything interesting?' asked Shreya.

'Nope, I spoke with her costume designer, her makeup artist and few of her colleagues. But I didn't get anything there. One thing shpuld be noted that Jia was indeed hot tempered. She'd had a spat with quite a few people but nothing seems serious enough to instigate a murder. She doesn't seem to have had too many friends. She has worked with another model quite a few times. She might know more about Jia but she is in LA right now shooting for a lingerie ad. I will talk to her once she gets back.' said Sameer.

'Yeah that is fine. I believe in profession like hers, one would tend to have more enemies than friends.' said Shreya.

Sameer grinned. 'Yeah, right; she's had a series of boyfriends so am gonna check on them. Currently she wasn't dating anybody.'

'Yeah, her one particular affair with the famous film actor had turned quite nasty, I had heard. It was I guess, in the last year. The media was going gaga over it' said Jaywanti.

'Hmm. Find out more about it' said Sameer.

'I examined the crime scene yesterday. She's got such a huge house! Anyway, Jia was getting the ground floor and the basement renovated. So I think we will to check with her architect as well. The chauffeur seems clean at the moment. I am meeting her parents today. They came back yesterday from their trip and were stunned by the news. I was rather surprised. Her death has been all over the newspapers and they didn't have a clue about it. Now they seem to have recovered from the shock apparently so they are ready to meet me today. She has no siblings.' said Shreya.

'What a setback it must have been to the fashion industry! She was in the league. It was a rat race amongst designers to sign her as their leading model' said Pankaj.

'She must have been the show- stopper, right? And think of it - she was just thirty' said Shreya.

'I don't think the fashion industry has received a setback really. The designer with whom Jia was working, has already found a replacement for his fashion show. The explanation which he gave me was really funny. He says people die every day but life should go on. He says he can't afford to waste any more time. Each day costs him lakhs of rupees' said Sameer.

'Really? He got a new model within two days of her death? People should learn to show some courtesy! That was so disrespectful!' said Shreya.

'Jia was taking drugs as well' said Pankaj.

'She has been to rehab twice. I had read about it in the papers' said Jaywanti.

'Okay, since there are so many things to investigate, let's first dig her background. Then we can prepare a rough timeline of her life till her death so that nothing escapes us.' said Shreya.

'Okay. I will check her incomplete contracts with other designers. She had many commitments lined up.' said Sameer.

'Pankaj, I want a schema of what Jia did on the day immediately preceding her death. Whom did she meet, what did she eat... every tiny detail' said Shreya.

'Why would you would you want to know what did she eat before her death? Let me remind you, she was stabbed not poisoned.' said Sameer.

Shreya looked at him irritably. 'I know that but what's wrong in having extra information? It might be useful later on' said Shreya.

'There is no point in gathering extra information. We will just waste time. We have got to hurry up' said Sameer.

'Look-' Shreya opened her mouth to argue but his cell phone rang at that moment and he left the room excusing himself.

 **O-o-o-o**

Days passed and they still weren't able to get sufficient evidence about anything in particular. Shreya found it very frustrating. She kept thinking that they were going round and round in circles. They needed a breakthrough and that too fast.

The big day for Shreya came far too soon – the day when she would be meeting the last person she had ever wanted to see – Daya.

Shreya was extremely nervous that day since morning. The reason? She was going to see Daya after two awfully long years. She hated herself at that moment. Why couldn't she control her emotions? The feelings which she had for him long back were gone now, weren't they? They why was she all jittery? She kept regretting her decision of accepting the case. She wasn't even sure whether she wanted to see him. It was so confusing.

Purvi happened to be working in Bureau that day and Shreya had badgered her so much that ultimately she had cracked up.

'He hasn't arrived yet Shreya! I have told you that for the fifth time in past one hour! Call him and ask if you are so eager to see him. I have his number. Do you want to talk to him?' asked Purvi.

'No thanks' snapped Shreya.

'Stop pestering me then' said Purvi, her eyes glued to the computer Screen.

'Getting really desperate to meet someone, are we?' Abhijeet whispered in Shreya's ear making her jump.

'What? Oh no! I am not. I am going to go back to work' said Shreya and marched off to her Cabin.

 **O-o-o-o**

She didn't feel like having lunch so instead of joining others in the Cafeteria, she remained in her cabin completing the Case Evidence documents.

At 3.30 pm, Sameer came to her cabin.

'Good Afternoon. Coffee?' he asked.

'No Thank you' she muttered without looking at him.

'We have a meeting with Jia's personal agent. She managed her daily affairs. I really hope we get some good stuff from her else Daya Sir is gonna skin us alive. We haven't got anything till date. No suspects. No motive. No murder weapon.' said Sameer.

Getting no response from Shreya, Sameer said, 'Shreya, are you listening to me?'

'What? Yes - Sorry I am. Yeah we will go' she said.

'Meet me in the Car Park in ten minutes' he said and hurried off.

'Shreya please! Get a grip on yourself! This isn't right. This just isn't right. You can't let your stupid emotions affect your work. You need to concentrate on the murder case' she scolded herself.

But howsoever she tried; she couldn't get a grip on herself. She wanted to see him. Maybe after that she would feel alright. She was unusually quiet in the Car on their way to meet Jia's Secretary.

'Are you okay? You are awfully quiet today' said Sameer.

'Yeah, I am okay. It's just the case's bugging me' she answered.

Evening came and he still hadn't come. This wasn't supposed to bother her but it was. Finally it was time to go home. Shreya was extremely disappointed. Where the hell was he? Why hadn't he come? The questions kept running through her mind.

She got up and grabbed her bag. There was no point in waiting. 'He wouldn't come to Bureau now, anyway at this hour' she thought.

Shreya had been so pre - occupied with her thoughts that she walked headlong into someone in the car park.

'Ouch!'

'Owww... Purvi! I am so sorry.' Shreya apologised.

'It's Okay' Purvi smiled.

'Done for today?' asked Shreya.

'Yeah, it's terrible. Too much work pressure. Abhijeet sir is still in the bureau. Dunno what he is doing. He was in a very bad mood. He was yelling like crazy at the juniors. I was so scared to ask him. But then he came and told me politely to leave' said Purvi.

'Yeah...' said Shreya staring into the void.

'Shreya? Are you even listening to me?' asked Purvi.

'Yes, I am listening. Looking at number of cases Abhijeet sir is handling at the moment, this is bound to happen' said Shreya.

'Yeah, that's true. You got your car?' asked Purvi.

She received no response from Shreya. She was lost in her own thoughts.

'Something on your mind? You seem pre-occupied' said Purvi.

'Well yeah! I was wondering why the hell he didn't come when he was supposed to be here today!', Shreya wanted to say. But she decided to keep her mouth shut.

'No, it's nothing. Let's go home' said Shreya.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Three more days came and went and still there was no sign of Daya. Shreya wondered whether he had changed his mind about supervising the case. Maybe he didn't want to see her and he changed his mind?

Brushing aside her thoughts, she got dressed and drove to CID Bureau. She had to go to the Forensic Lab as the post mortem had been done.

Dr Salunkhe nodded at them as the lab assistant rolled the gurney with Jia's dead body towards them.

'We found traces of cocaine in her blood. But only slight traces. She died due to multiple stab wounds. The wounds inflicted on the body are made with a butcher knife which is usually used to cut meat. The impact must have been heavy. Mere two or three stabs would have finished her off. There are no signs of rape. Time of death would have been around 4 am.' said Dr Salukhe.

'Okay and what about the fingerprints which we gave for analysis?' asked Shreya.

'We found five different fingerprints around the house which match with Jia, her two servants, the Chauffeur and the neighbour. The killer was careful to use gloves' said Tarika.

'Chauffeur and the neighbour - they must have left their prints when they broke open the door.' said Shreya.

'What did you get from her handbag?' asked Shreya.

'Nothing much, just makeup and stuff' said Tarika.

'Okay' said Shreya sighing.

Shreya thanked them and left the Forensic Lab. She hurried off to the CID Bureau to tell Sameer what she had found out. He was already waiting for her, looking impatient.

'Shreya, you are late. Anyway we have got a meeting in the conference room in one minute' said Sameer and rushed to the Conference room before she could utter another word.

Shreya stared irritably after him. 'He won't even listen where I had been! Ridiculous!' Shreya muttered and slammed her bag on the table.

Wondering why the meeting was being held out of the blue, she made her way towards the conference room. Sameer, Pankaj, Jaywanti and the other ground level officers had already gathered inside the room. Shreya saw Dr Salunkhe's assistant Dr Vaibhav chatting with one of the juniors.

'Who's coming?' Shreya asked Jaywanti.

Before Jaywanti could reply, the door opened and he walked in. Shreya gasped. It was Senior Inspector Daya followed by another young Officer.

'Hello everyone, sorry I am late. I was tied up with work.' he said.

He glanced around the room and Shreya was sure, he did a double take when he saw her. She blushed. She was desperate to see him since past few days and his sudden appearance no doubt pleased her. Daya however didn't show any further signs of recognition.

He looked almost the same as she remembered him two years ago. Broad shouldered and good - looking in a rugged sort of a way. Shreya noticed a slight change - his hair had thinned a bit.

In a very professional tone he said, 'those who don't know me - I am senior Inspector Daya. Though I see a lot of old faces' he said looking at Shreya.

She gave him a meek smile.

'Okay, let us not waste anymore time. I have just been speaking to the ACP sir and he is not happy with the way the case is progressing. We haven't been able to gather any concrete evidence as yet. I should have been here two days ago, but I was held up at the headquarters. So, I have planned that each member will tell me what he or she has found out till date. Let us start right from the beginning -'

'Excuse me Sir but I think there is no point in going over the same points again and again. We are merely wasting our time' said Sameer.

The room fell silent as they watched Daya apprehensively as to how would he react.

'Your name is Sameer, am I correct?' asked Daya.

'Yes. Chief Officer Sameer' said Sameer.

'Okay, Sameer I believe that I am the senior and here onwards things will happen according to my wish. Have I made myself clear?' said Daya.

'But-' Sameer protested.

Daya held up his hand and he felt silent at once.

'I think I've made myself very clear. I have heard that Officer Shreya joined the case two days late?' asked Daya staring at Shreya.

'Yes. The reason-' Shreya said but Daya held up his hand once again.

'I know the reason. So Chief Officer Sameer, you were assigned to the case right from the beginning?' asked Daya.

'Yes' said Sameer coldly.

'Great. Tell me everything right from the beginning' said Daya.

'The victim was discovered dead by her Chauffeur and her neighbours on Monday morning at 9 am. The house has only one entrance and the CCTV cameras didn't catch anybody going to the victim's house. Nothing has been robbed and there are no fingerprints. There was no sign of break in. The victim was brutally stabbed in the stomach and we are considering Revenge as the motive for murder' said Sameer.

'What about the murder weapon?' asked Daya.

'The Victim was stabbed four times with a sharp butcher knife. There are no signs of rape. I have just been to the Forensic Lab. The murder weapon is missing.' said Shreya.

'Which persons have been interrogated so far?' asked Daya.

'Jia was working with a famous fashion designer. We have interrogated all people who have worked with her including her makeup artist, her colleagues and her Chauffeurs' said Sameer.

'And?' Daya prompted.

'They all are clean' said Sameer.

'I spoke with Jia's parents. They were out of the country when it happened. They had seen very little of Jia ever since she became one of the leading Models of the Country. They didn't like the negative publicity which surrounded her constantly. When was in her struggling period, she often pestered them for money and her father refused to pay for her expenses. She had a big fight with her parents and since then they never really got along. Her parents have no clue as to who could have killed her. Jia didn't have any siblings.' said Shreya.

'Who else?' asked Daya.

'Jia had hired an architect for renovating her ground floor and basement. I spoke with the architect. I see no problem there. They never had any serious argument over anything. Infact Jia had even paid him a handsome advance before the work had started. Then I met Jia's personal agent. They run a famous agency. They managed Jia's contracts and stuff. The meeting was a short one and I plan to visit her again after I get few more leads' said Shreya.

'We have been digging Jia's past as well. She's had a series of affairs from servants, chauffeurs to famous celebrities. We are yet to interview them' said Sameer.

'Sir, Jia had been to the rehabilitation centre twice. We still have to meet her doctors' said Pankaj.

'That's it?' asked Daya.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

'Okay, now I will start from the basics. Who checked the CCTV footage?' asked Daya.

'I checked it, sir' said Jaywanti.

'You checked the CCTV camera fitted in Jia's house, correct?' asked Daya.

'Yes Sir' said Jaywanti.

'What about the CCTV cameras of the neighbours? Did you check them? Jia lived in a posh locality and every house will have its own security camera' said Daya.

'There is no point in looking the other CCTV footages sir. As I told you, there is only one entrance to Jia house - via front door. If anyone had entered, he or she would have been seen on Jia's CCTV camera' said Sameer.

'ARE YOU REALLY THAT DUMB?' Daya bellowed.

'Sir I-'

'Did Jia drop dead on her own? Or did she commit suicide? The killer is not stupid! He must have gained entry to her house by some other means! There has got to be some explanation for this! Maybe the killer knew her well. He went to her flat the previous day and then killed her the very next day' sad Daya angrily.

'Sir, I have checked the previous day's CCTV footage as well -' said Jaywanti.

'For heavens sake, I am repeating it for the second time. You have checked only Jia's CCTV camera. What about the other surveillance cameras fitted in the apartments which are next to or behind the victim's house?' asked Daya.

'Sir, I will get them checked' said Jaywanti.

'There is no other way to enter the house. I have checked the crime scene thoroughly' Sameer muttered.

'You fucking haven't!' Daya yelled.

'I surveyed the crime before coming here and do you know what I found? The wall on the back side of Jia's house is broken. The bricks have come loose. There is a huge hole large enough for a person to crawl in. It is so well hidden by the creepers that you didn't notice it. The killer could have come from there. What's even more interesting is that House no 44 which is exactly behind Jia's house has only two occupants - An elderly man and his wife. They don't even have a pet dog. The killer could have entered the victim's premises from there. Now, if you had checked the CCTV footage of House no 44, you might have spotted the killer. Isn't that a likely possibility?' asked Daya glaring at Sameer.

Sameer didn't utter a single word. He was seething in anger. He didn't like the way Daya was speaking to him.

'I want all the surrounding surveillance cameras checked by tomorrow, is that clear?' asked Daya.

Jaywanti nodded.

'Did you find out any people who were close to Jia? Such people with whom she is likely to share her secrets?' asked Daya.

'Not really. A colleague of Jia with whom Jia had worked a lot of times is busy with an ad shoot outside India. We will call her to the Bureau once she gets back.' said Shreya.

'And you believe that Jia had just one close friend? What about others? Have you hunted them down?' asked Daya.

'No.'

'you told me nothing was stolen from her flat. Have you ever given this a thought that Jia's death might give the murderer a lot more money than stealing a small amount of cash from her flat?' asked Daya.

When Pankaj looked confused, Daya said, 'Have you checked what happens to Jia's property after her death? Who are the beneficiaries?' asked Daya.

'No.'

'The person who manages Jia's finances. Even he might have killed her. Have you enquired about him?' asked Daya.

'No'

'Shreya, you told me Jia requested money from her parents when she was struggling to get work and recognition. Surely she wouldn't have stayed here at that time? She must have rented a place or would have even shared a flat with someone? Her roommates might know something about her. The doctors who treated her at rehab, her boyfriends, her -' Daya was saying when Shreya interrupted him.

'We haven't got that far yet. It has just been a week' she said.

'I know that but we really need to make a move. ACP sir said we will have to make a press release within two weeks regarding how the case is progressing. And before that, we will have find something which will give us a lead, a direction. Right now we are merely roaming in blind alleyways not knowing where are we heading' said Daya.

'Okay, tell us what to do' said Sameer in a blunt tone.

'Yeah, I will' snapped Daya.

Daya continued to speak for another hour. Shreya yawned, trying to pay attention to him. Her head was spinning. When, he would up the meeting, she was the first one to get out.

Her head had started to ache and she wanted to go home as soon as possible. She was going to go back to her cabin, when she saw Daya hurry towards the exit.

'Gotta go. I have an urgent call to make. I want everyone present at 8.30 am tomorrow in the Bureau. I want to have a little personal chat with each one of you' he said and left the Bureau.

Shreya watched him go. He hadn't even asked how she was. Had they gone that far in those two years?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Pankaj.

'Phew! I am so scared of him. You never know when he would vent out all his anger on you. But you know what? It feels good to work with him. I got to work with him after a long time. I kind of miss working with him. Don't you?' he asked.

Shreya didn't know what to say. Pankaj would never know how much she missed him. She had worked with him, loved him and he had loved her back with the same passion. Now seeing him again, her feelings for him had gotten much stronger. She felt angry that he hadn't even bothered to ask her how she was. All she longed now was to curl up on her bed and try to disunite herself from those feelings.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The next day Shreya arrived fifteen minutes before time. Nobody had arrived yet so she sat in her cabin checking her cell phone. She saw her colleagues arrive one by one and she joined them for a cup of Coffee. The smell of Cologne announced Daya's arrival.

He wished them "good morning" and asked Pankaj to join him in five minutes.

Shreya stared after him. He had ignored her yet again as if she were a total stranger. Why was she bothering anyway? Grabbing a piece of toast, she marched back to her cabin feeling frustrated.

It wasn't until 9.30 when Daya knocked and entered her cabin. The strong cologne invaded her nostrils once again. Why couldn't he apply something subtler? They had fought over so many times over Daya's perfume when they had been on friendlier terms.

Shreya had almost opened her mouth to argue with him over his strong perfume but then she suddenly realised she didn't have that right anymore.

'Okay, tell me about the background digging you are going to do' said Daya.

'I will check where she stayed when she wasn't getting job. I will speak to her colleague who is arriving in India today. She might tell us something important.' said Shreya.

'Okay good. Keep me posted in the developments. Where is Sameer?' said Daya.

'He hasn't arrived yet. We tried calling him but he is not picking up his phone' said Shreya.

'I will deal with him' said Daya and his face hardened.

Shreya glued her eyes to her laptop screen hoping he would leave soon.

'So, how have you been?' he asked after a moment.

'Oh, realised have you that we have met after a long time?' said Shreya.

'I am sorry. When I went home yesterday, I realised I didn't even speak to you. It didn't feel right at all. I knew you must be expecting I would talk to you-'

'Wait a minute, what did you say? I wasn't expecting anything' said Shreya.

'Oh. Okay. How are you?' he asked.

'I am fine. You?' said Shreya.

'Too busy these days... It's good to see you back. I miss you' he said.

'Excuse me?' asked Shreya looking alarmed.

'I meant that I miss working with you' he said.

'Oh okay. Yeah, I miss the old times' she said.

'How is Siddharth? You didn't even tell me when did you guys get married' he said.

She stared at him for a moment before replying.

'We aren't married yet. Engaged, yes' she said looking at her glittery engagement ring.

'Really? What are you guys waiting for?' asked Daya.

'Don't you think that is too a personal question? That is up to us to decide' said Shreya acidly.

'Yes, of course. I am extremely sorry' said Daya looking offended.

'What about you? Still single?' she asked. For some strange reason, her heart was pounding loudly.

Daya laughed. 'Yes, nobody's interested in dating an old man'

'Oh please! Old man? You certainly don't seem like one' said Shreya.

'Thanks' he said, looking at her and smiling.

Outside, Jaywanti was watching Daya and Shreya indulged deep in conversation

'You think they are still together?' she asked Pankaj.

'How could they be? Shreya is engaged to Siddharth. They might have got married as well' said Pankaj.

'Oh yeah, I forgot about that' said Jaywanti.

 **O-o-o-o**

Shreya spent the rest of the day meeting few more people who knew Jia and lastly in the evening she Jia's colleague. She didn't give much information as Shreya was rather put out. The investigation seemed to be going nowhere in particular.

Tried and rather disappointed from the day's work she returned to the CID Bureau at 9.30. She was surprised to find it quite empty and silent.

She spotted Jaywanti and went towards her. 'What's up? Why is everything so quiet?' she asked.

'Sameer Sir came really late today and Daya sir lost his temper. He was yelling and insulting Sameer in front of everyone. Then Daya sir left and Sameer Sir still hasn't come out of his Cabin.' said Jaywanti.

'But didn't anyone of you go and ask him what the matter was?' asked Shreya.

'He has locked himself in.' said Jaywanti.

'What?' asked Shreya sounding surprised.

'Yes. It is very weird. I have never seen him doing that before. But trust me it was really bad. He must be feeling hurt.' said Jaywanti.

'I am going to go and ask him. Hope he opens the door' said Shreya.

She was about to go when she felt a hand on her shoulder. 'Shreya?' said a familiar voice.

'Vikram? Hi! What are you doing here?' asked Shreya.

Vikram was a CID officer. Shreya had worked him on two cases before he was transferred to New Delhi.

'I was going to ask you the same question.' said Vikram.

'I am working on Jia D'souza murder case.' said Shreya.

'Oh, that's great. I am going to work with you. Daya sir has assigned me on it' said Vikram sounding pleased.

'What?' said Shreya and Jaywanti at the same time.

'As if you didn't know Shreya' said Sameer.

Everyone turned to look at him. Sameer had come out and he was staring at Shreya, anger etched all over his face.

'What are you talking about?' asked Shreya.

'About Daya kicking me out and bringing in a new officer' said Sameer sneering.

'WHAT? Daya withdrew this case from you? When did that happen? I didn't know anything about it!' said Shreya surprised.

'I too was unaware about it.' said Jaywanti.

'What's going on?' Pankaj asked making his way towards them.

'Daya sir has appointed a new officer on this case in place of Sameer sir' said Jaywanti and Pankaj gasped.

'Don't tell me you all knew nothing about this' said Vikram goggling at them.

'Shreya would have known. Of course' said Sameer.

'How would I know? I don't understand you' said Shreya.

'You should try acting in films Shreya. You will get immense success' said Sameer.

'I didn't know anything Sameer. I came to the bureau ten minutes ago!' said Shreya indignantly.

'Stop lying. There is no point in lying to me. I know the truth very well' said Sameer.

'Why would Daya tell me that he is replacing you?' asked Shreya angrily.

'Isn't it obvious? He might have let it slip during one of your cozy little chatting sessions' said Sameer smirking.

Shreya froze. 'I beg your pardon?' she said in a rigid voice.

'Both of us had surveyed the crime scene. None of us realised that the backside compound wall was broken. We had agreed unanimously that there was no need to check the CCTV footage of the houses surrounding the victim's house. Both of us were equally into making the mistake and who gets kicked out? Me alone!' yelled Sameer.

'What's that got to do with me?! It's his decision altogether. Why are you accusing me? Are you thinking that I complained to Daya and that's why he replaced you?' asked Shreya in a loud voice.

Sameer let out a fake laugh.

'There was no need for you to tell. Everyone out here knows that you and Daya were romantically involved with one another in the past. Maybe he still hasn't got over you and it was obvious who would he kick out if given a choice' said Sameer.

'WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?' she yelled.

'It's the truth! I don't know why the truth bothers you so much. But it is okay now. He has kicked me out. Now both of you can have fun together -'

'SHUT UP SAMEER! SHUT YOUR GODDAMN MOUTH! WHATEVER I AND DAYA SHARED IN THE PAST IS NONE OF YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS, YOU GOT THAT? AND IT HAS GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR REPLACEMENT! GET THIS THING VERY CLEAR IN YOUR HEAD' Shreya bellowed.

'Whatever, I don't care. Anyway I wouldn't have liked to work with such an arrogant and lunatic weirdo. I have something called "self respect" and I would rather get kicked out from the case than getting insulted by him.' said Sameer and stormed out of the Bureau.

Shreya was shaking with anger from head to toe. How dare he talk about her and Daya's relationship in front of everyone? And the most important thing, how did he know about her and Daya? He had joined after she had decided to take a transfer. There was no way he could have known about them unless somebody told him...

Shreya turned to face Jaywanti and Pankaj. 'How does he know about Daya and me?' she asked trying to speak in a controlled voice.

'I don't know' squeaked Pankaj.

'I swear, I didn't tell Sameer sir anything, Mam' said Jaywanti and Pankaj nodded.

Shreya took a deep breath. If they hadn't told Sameer then only one person could have told him - Daya himself.

'Shreya, please calm down' said Vikram but Shreya ignored him as if she hadn't heard whatever he had said.

She closed her eyes taking deep breaths. She would have to talk to Daya, she decided. Without another word to anybody, she grabbed her bag and rustled out of the CID Bureau slamming the door behind her.

Pankaj and Jaywanti looked shaken.

'I hope she will be okay' said Pankaj.

'She hasn't got her own vehicle today' said Jaywanti.

'Don't worry. I will go and check on her' said Vikram and he too hurried out of the Bureau.

 **O-o-o-o**

Half an hour later, Shreya was standing outside Daya's residence having knocked the door for numerous times.

There was a sound of the locks unbolting and Daya opened the door looking tetchy.

He was about to yell but then -

'Shreya?' he said sounding surprised.

She glared at him. She hated everything about him at that moment; right from his handsome face to his night pants. She was trying hard to control her temper.

'What the hell are you trying to do?' he shouted at him.

'What? What did I do?' he asked looking confused.

'Great! Now you are trying to act dumb' said Shreya angrily.

'Stop shouting at me and tell me what the problem is. Why don't you come in?' he asked.

'Look-' she began.

'Shreya please come in. We can sit and talk' he suggested calmly.

She crept past him, into his house, still fuming.

Daya shut the door and followed her inside. 'You will have Coffee? I was thinking of making one.' said Daya.

'Look, I didn't come here for drinking Coffee alright? That's so convenient. You make my life hell and sit here and enjoy Coffee!' shouted Shreya angrily.

'This is ridiculous. What did I do?' shouted Daya now losing his temper too.

'So you want to hear it from me? Fine! What did you tell Sameer? About us? About our past?' asked Shreya.

'I didn't tell him anything' said Daya trying to fathom where this was going.

'Don't you lie to me, Daya. Sameer taunted me on my face. Says we were involved and hence you obviously wouldn't kick me out of this case. He thinks you are favouring me over him for personal reasons!. He is a newcomer. He joined CID after I left. How does he know about what happened in the past?' she demanded.

'Did he say that to you? I will look into the matter the first thing in the morning. I kicked him out for altogether different reasons. I didn't like his lazy, laid back attitude. All he did was criticize my way of working. I can't tolerate such people working under me. I don't know who told him about you know... but I swear I didn't tell him anything. Somebody else must have -' said Daya.

'Stop accusing other people! Nobody who was previously with us would have told him. I trust them all' said Shreya in a steely voice.

'That's great. You trust everyone else except me' said Daya bitterly.

'You - you really think I would trust you after what happened between us? I trusted you at one point of time. More than my life. I was under blind faith that whatever we shared was something more than friendship. And one day you would reciprocate my feelings. At least when - when someone else came in my life -' she broke off.

'Shreya I am sorry for what happened. I know I was too late. I-' said Daya.

'Stop it please. I have already heard your explanations and I don't wish to discuss the past again.' she said.

'Shreya-'

'I said no. The point is after all this I can't trust you. How can you spread such negative stuff about me? Do you think it's funny?' she said.

'Shut up Shreya! I am not taking anymore bullshit from you. I have told you hundred times already. I haven't told him anything. Why would I?' he asked.

'I don't know! And I don't believe you. If you are trying to ruin someone's life then at least have the guts to admit it -' she stopped talking when Daya closed the distance between them held her face in his hands firmly.

'Shhhh Shreya. Please calm down. I know it's very difficult for you to cope up with all this. It would have been difficult for any girl. But I swear on my life I didn't do it. Whatever we shared was special to me. It will always be. And I would insult our relationship like this. Never. Not even in my dreams.' he said.

Shreya shivered at his touch. It felt like so familiar like old times as if nothing had changed. She had felt his touch after bloody two long years and she didn't intend to let it go soon.

But then she realised that it was all wrong. She was once again treading on the dangerous waters.

'Leave me. Leave me dammit! How dare you touch me?' she shrieked.

Daya let go of her immediately.

'Sorry' he mumbled.

'Don't even try Daya. I am warning you' she said.

'I am extremely sorry Shreya. I didn't want to... you know - Please don't get me wrong.' he said sounding apologetic.

'Please Daya don't make my life more complicated than it already is. Please. It hurts me so much. It took me two years to get out of that mess and -'

'And you think I am having fun here, am I? You are making it sound as if the entire mistake was mine!' said Daya.

'Well isn't it?' asked Shreya.

'It isn't! You too loved me right? Then why didn't you tell me first about what you feel? If it was bothering you so much, why did you get engaged to him and then you married -'

'Didn't I make it really obvious that I like you? And you too didn't stop me from getting engaged to Siddharth -' she broke off watching Daya's expressions.

There was a pause and then Shreya said, 'I am leaving.'

'Wait -'

'And please forget the conversation we just had. I don't want you to think that I am still dwelling in the past. I have moved on. I don't think about you anymore. I don't have feelings for you anymore. So don't get me wrong. I just didn't like anybody interfering with my personal life that's why I got angry.' she said.

Daya shrugged. 'Of course you have moved on. You got engaged to Siddharth.' he said.

'I broke off the engagement with Siddharth' said Shreya before she could stop herself.  
("Why did you have to tell him that?" her mind asked. "Coz you are a complete ass" the other mind answered)

'What? That means you lied to me in the morning!' said Daya.

'Yes. I didn't want you to know because I didn't want to have wrong impressions about me. I didn't want you to think that I called it off because of you. I have already told Purvi and Abhijeet sir about it. I made them swear they wouldn't tell you anything' said Shreya.

'What's the ring still doing on your finger then? It's for me, is it?' asked Daya.

Shreya removed the ring and put it in her bag not answering his question.

'I wanted to keep it from you like forever but I felt you had the right to know so...' she said after a minute.

'Okay.' he said.

'I am leaving' she said.

'Wait, I will drive you home. It's late' he said.

'No thank you. Don't bother. I'll manage.' she said.

'It no bother at all' said Daya.

'I said I'll go! Don't think that you have a chance, now that I am single' she said.

'Whoa! Where did that come from? Don't be so stupid. I know you have moved on. I am just trying to help you out' said Daya.

'Don't. I don't need your help' said Shreya.

'Why do you have to be so difficult?' asked Daya.

'I am not being difficult. It's just that someone's waiting for me below in the car. He will drive me home' said Shreya avoiding eye contact.

'What? Who?' asked Daya, stunned.

'Vikram. I have known him for quite some time now. I get along with him really well. I told him I will take only a few minutes and half an hour has already passed. He must be wondering what's keeping me so long. I should go. Good night' said Shreya and left a bit hurriedly.

When she shut the door, she didn't hear Daya wish her good night.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The next few days, work kept them busy and nobody had time to think about anything else. Daya hadn't spoken to Shreya about anything else except work. She was glad that he was ignoring her because following the incident of that night when they had argued, she had found herself missing him desperately.

When Daya had found out that he would be working along with Shreya on the case, he had been quite apprehensive about it. But he was not a person who would let personal relationships come in the way of work and so he had accepted to work on that case. He had been sure that he had moved on and nothing was left between them. He had decided that he would talk to her only whenever necessary and he wouldn't cross that line when they had drawn between themselves two years ago.

His resolve however had lasted only for a few days till she had come to his apartment accusing him for spreading lies which he hadn't. He had been really angry. How could she have even thought that he would discuss their past relationship with a newcomer? Even though he hadn't voiced his feelings, Shreya announcing that she had broken off her and Siddharth's engagement had certainly made his spirits soar. And then she had left him again, telling him that someone was waiting for her stating indirectly that she didn't want him to interfere in her life once again.

He wondered why she was trying to restrain herself. Maybe, she was afraid. Afraid that he would hurt her again. And she had the right to feel that way. It had been his fault that he hadn't confessed his feelings towards her before it was too late. But now here she was standing before him. He realised that he still hadn't gotten over her. And he hoped this case would bring them closer and he would be able to set things right between them if could help it. He had decided not to rush things too much. But he was determined to make things work between them. And he wasn't going to let go that easily this time.

Daya's hunch that the murderer entered Jia's house through the hole in the brick wall was proved right.

The CCTV cameras had captured a man entering Jia's house from the backside. However he had taken care to hide his face as well as his clothes. He had come wearing a black cape fifteen minutes prior to Jia's arrival.

'He must have known what time Jia comes home. The security system was deactivated. Has anybody got the fingerprints from the security system?' asked Daya.

'Yes, sir I matched them with all the people whom we have interviewed so far but the strange thing is none of them match. Not even Jia's.' said Shreya.

'So it is quite possible that they are of the Killer's. And if he knew the password to the security system, he obviously knew he too well. And she trusted him. You say that prior to her death, she wasn't dating anyone, right?' asked Daya.

'Yes. That's correct' said Shreya.

'Sir, I checked with the doctors who had treated Jia at the rehab. She had stayed there for quite short time, drug addiction being the problem. The doctors told me that she was quite eager to get back to work and responded well to the treatment. So, I don't think that has anything to do with her murder. Also, when she was at the rehab, her boyfriend would come to meet her often and her agent maybe one or twice as far as the doctor remembers' said Vikram.

'And did she look angry or depressed after meeting either of them?' asked Daya.

'No on the contrary, she would call her boyfriend often and tell him to come and meet her. According to the doctors, it made her happy. And the agent would come for fixing her future appointments and stuff' said Vikram.

'Who was her boyfriend while she was in rehab?' asked Daya.

'Some film actor' said Vikram.

'Alright, I want you to talk to him and the agent one more time just to confirm the facts which the doctors told you.' said Daya and Vikram nodded.

'Jaywanti, what about Jia's Property? What happens to it after her death?' asked Daya.

'Most of it goes to Charity. Looks like she didn't have many friends or dear ones for whom she had left something. Also few properties are not mentioned in her Will at all. Some of them are under dispute as well. I have already discussed about the same with her lawyer but it is a tedious process. Even her lawyer is clueless about why she left out certain properties. Even he was not aware about them' said Jaywanti.

'Hmmm, talk to Jia's parents about it. They might know something. But from the information which you have told me, I think her financial affairs are pretty clean. I mean clean enough not establishing a motive for murder' said Daya.

'But then what could be the motive?' asked Shreya.

'Did you find out where Jia stayed during her struggling period?' asked Daya.

'Yeah, it was a cheap rented apartment. She shared it with two girls and a guy.' said Shreya.

'So what happened to them?' asked Daya.

'They have obviously left now. The guy died a year ago due to drug overdose. I have researched a bit about him and everything looks okay. The girls were struggling models like Jia but I haven't found out what happened to them or where they are right now.' said Shreya.

'What about the owner?' asked Daya.

'The owner is a lady and she is totally deaf, sir. I strongly suspect she has gone bonkers with her growing age. She thought I wanted a place to stay and she tried to rope me and Shreya to pay her some advance' explained Pankaj.

'Yeah, and that place is absolutely horrible. It's cold and dark and stinks like anything' said Shreya with a disgusted expression.

Daya couldn't help giving her a faint smile.

'Well, looking at her state, I am sure she wouldn't have any records of the tenants?' asked Daya.

'No, Not at all. No identification or anything' said Shreya.

'Darn! There it goes once again! Fucking dead end' Daya cursed suddenly making them all jump.

'How are we going to deal with the press? They were rather enraged yesterday when the guard didn't let them in. They want answers.' said Shreya.

'Oh, I really don't know. We haven't got any leads yet.' said Daya with an exasperated sigh.

'So, what do we do next?' asked Shreya.

'Talk to her parents about this rented place. They wouldn't know much if they had really severed ties with their daughter but it's worth a try. She must have mentioned it sometimes, maybe' said Daya.

'Okay' said Shreya and everyone turned to leave.

'Shreya, before you go and talk to her parents, I want you to take me to that deaf owner. I think I will have a little chat with her as well. I will be back in an hour and till then gather as many old photographs of Jia as possible.' said Daya.

'Okay but do you really think this is going to help in solving the case? I mean, nothing seems suspicious' said Shreya.

'Maybe not but that's the only direction in which we haven't gone that deep. Anything could happen. Let's keep our fingers crossed.' said Daya.

'Alright, I will wait for you then' said Shreya.

'Great. I will get back in an hour. I have to make a call to ACP sir. Other, we will meet tomorrow morning with a complete written report on your findings so far' said Daya and the officers dispersed.

 **O- o-o-o**

Daya's call took much longer than expected and even when the clock chimed 2 o'clock in the afternoon, he hadn't returned.

He hadn't returned Shreya's calls and she was starving. She was just thinking of going to a restaurant for a quick sandwich or something when he came in looking sulky and tired.

'What kept you?' she asked offering her a glass of water which he gladly accepted.

'DCP sir insisted that he too wanted to know how the case was progressing. Then he and ACP sir got in a row and then they somehow dragged me into it and the rest is history' said Daya and Shreya smirked.

'Okay, so before we leave, do you mind if I get a sandwich or something from a nearby fast food joint?' asked Shreya.

'Food. That's helps indeed. Thank you for reminding me. I am starving. But I don't feel like having sandwiches for lunch. Let's go to a restaurant. There's a great place I know' said Daya getting up.

Shreya stared at him unable to voice anything.

He looked at her for a moment and then said, 'Ofcourse, if you don't want to, then it perfectly fine with me'

'No... Let's go. I don't mind but make it quick. I am starving' she said smiling.

'Great, let's go then' he said returning her smile.

Walking beside him, as he led way towards his car Shreya remembered those olden days. She really used to enjoy their quick lunch dates like this especially when it would just be the two of them. She wondered whether he was thinking about it too.

Still engrossed in her thoughts, Shreya didn't realise Daya had stopped walking and she ran right into him.

'Oh I am so sorry, sir!' she exclaimed flushing slightly.

'It's alright' said Daya grasping her arm to make her stand properly. 'And Shreya, would you rather call me by first name at least when we are alone?'

'Yes alright. Sorry' Shreya said avoiding his eye.

'Good. Now get in' he said holding the door of the car open for her.

'Still a gentleman' thought Shreya smiling to herself.

The ride towards a restaurant was rather a quiet one, each of them lost in their own world.

Finally they were seated in the restaurant having placed the order for their meal.

Silence still prevailed among them and Shreya felt really awkward. Two years ago, she had so much to tell him and he too had so many things to share with her but time had changed so much. No she had to think of something to talk to him and she assumed his case was no different as she watched him fiddling with his fingers, looking everywhere except at her.

She hated it. She hated this silence between them. She sincerely hoped everything got normal between them and that too fast. She was here only for this case and she didn't know when she would see him again once she went back.

'If two years of distance had made them total strangers, what would happen in future?' she wondered.

She knew she wasn't supposed to feel that way about him. But thoughts kept coming to her and she could put a stop to them. Why did she still crave for his company? Was she still in love with him? She wasn't even she about his feelings. Even if he did feel something, he certainly didn't show it. Shreya knew whatever she had in her mind was wrong but she couldn't help it.

Brushing aside her thoughts, she decided to break the silence.

'I got lot of old photographs of Jia. We have already shown some of them to the owner but I don't think she'll remember -'

'Shreya…' Daya interrupted her. 'Can we please not talk about work at the moment?'

Shreya paused for a moment before replying, 'Okay... so what do you want to talk about then?'


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

'I want to talk about us' said Daya.

'I don't think there is anything left to talk about us. And I don't want to discuss about whatever happened in the past. It's too distressing for me' said Shreya bluntly.

'I know. It was a very bitter experience for me as well. I am not going to go back there. But I think we should think about the future' said Daya.

'What future? Okay, this is really getting ridiculous! Are you suggesting that that we should think about getting back together after what happened in past two years?' said Shreya indignantly.

'Look, I am not suggesting anything of that sort. We ought to give ourselves some time' said Daya.

'Do you think time is going to heal everything? You don't know anything... what I've been through... you just don't know anything' said Shreya, her eyes glistening with tears.

'Well, you never told me! You left all of a sudden. Look, I tried to talk to you that night but all you were interested was arguing with me. And for your information, it was difficult for me too. Nothing was right after you left. It hasn't exactly been a joyride as you presume, you know.' said Daya.

'I don't want to get into all this Daya, please; because this is not going to lead us anywhere. It is just going to be an emotional fiasco. Please, stop this discussion right now' said Shreya in a pleading voice.

'You are getting me wrong, Shreya. I just want us to be friends. That's all I am asking' said Daya.

 **Shreya's POV** _: He wants to be friends? What for? If I say yes, then it would mean spending more time with him. I certainly cannot afford do that. I don't want my past to come back to me. But how can I deny his offer for friendship? It would sound so rude! But honestly, there shouldn't be any problem being friends, right? I have moved on. Yes! I have! I don't have any problem working with him as a colleague that why shouldn't I be friends with him?_

'What are you thinking about? I just asked for your friendship, that's all' said Daya.

'Okay but there won't be any meetings outside the bureau. We can be friendlier at workplace if you want' said Shreya.

'And what's that supposed to mean? How can we be friendlier at workplace?' asked Daya.

'No meetings outside the Bureau meaning no movie nights, no lunch or dinner meetings' said Shreya.

'And why is that so?' asked Daya.

'I have my own reasons for it. Don't ask me, I am not going to tell you' said Shreya flatly.

'Oh come on Shreya, we have moved on, haven't we? Do you really think movie nights and dinner meetings are going to rekindle our feelings once again?' asked Daya.

 **Shreya's POV** : _You have no idea. You don't know what you do to me Daya. I keep telling myself that I have moved on. But sometimes I doubt about it. I am so confused. And I don't want all of it to start once again. I am scared. I don't think I will be able to cope if I lose you once again..._

 **Daya's POV** : _Thank god, she agreed to be friends at least! This is a start Shreya. I know that you are scared to trust me. But I promise I won't betray you this time_.  
'I don't know. Maybe not but that's my first and foremost condition' said Shreya.

'Alright, fine' said Daya making a face.

'Great' said Shreya, smiling.

A moment's pause and then Daya said, 'Why are you still here then?'

'What?' said Shreya.

'I believe you said just a moment ago that you won't be having lunch or dinner with me! So, why are you still here?' asked Daya.

'Wha- oh! Ummm... no what I meant is that... we are on duty right now! I am merely dining with my colleague, aren't I? Well, this is what you can call being friendlier while at workplace' said Shreya.

Daya snickered. 'But we are not at Workplace!' he protested.

'Oh, never mind!' Shreya snapped.

'I see that you have altered your conditions, Shreya! No problem, we can always go on lunch dates as colleagues' said Daya grinning.

'Excuse me? This isn't a date' said Shreya.

'Yeah… whatever; A meeting then, if it makes you feel better. Can I ask you a personal question? I hope asking personal questions aren't one of your conditions.' said Daya.

'No, there isn't such condition' said Shreya, her heart pounding loudly.

'What does he want to ask?' she wondered.

'What's going on between you and Vikram?' asked Daya.

'What?' Shreya laughed.

'I think my question was pretty clear' said Daya.

'Nothing's going on. We are good friends. Why do you ask?' said Shreya.

 **Shreya's POV:** _Oh my gosh! Is he actually jealous? Shut up Shreya! Remember he has moved on. And you have moved on too!_

'Just curious' said Daya but Shreya thought he looked rather happy after that.

 **O-o-o-o**

The next few days were as dull as the previous ones. They did not seem to make any progress in the case. Every path which they had taken so far had reached the dead end. This also meant that Senior Inspector Daya had once again slipped into his bad mood torpor.

Since their talk in the restaurant during lunch that day, Shreya and Daya had quite warmed up to one another but these days even Shreya communicated rarely to him as he was likely to snap back in irritation.

They desperately hoped that something would come which would help them to proceed with the case. And then about two weeks later, something did happen.

All of them were sitting in the Conference going over the facts of the case all over again, trying to find if something had escaped their scrutiny. Shreya thought it wasn't actually necessary and that Daya was making them go over the data all over again simply because they had nothing else to do. She obviously didn't voice her opinion.

'Sir, something really interesting has come up in this case' said Pankaj excitedly walking into the conference room. He was completely out of breath.

Every eye turned upon him.

'Speak' said Daya.

'Someone tried to pry open Jia's gym locker. I got a call from her gym instructor few minutes ago. Fortunately the person couldn't actually steal anything. I immediately went over there and retrieved the contents of the locker.' said Pankaj panting slightly.

'And?' he prompted. 'What did you find?'

'This…' said Pankaj holding up a sleek leather bound diary. It looks like Jia's personal diary.'

'Great work Pankaj!' said Daya smiling at him.

'If someone tried to steal it, it obviously is very important' said Shreya.

'You are right. Now this diary is going to lead us to the killer' said Vikram.

'What else was there in the gym locker?' asked Jaywanti.

'Nothing important, just her gym clothes and stuff' said Pankaj.

'Great job! Now, Vikram I want you and Jaywanti to go back to that gym and talk with her instructor. If you can get a sketch of the person who tried to pry open the locker, then nothing like it' said Daya.

'Okay sir, we will go there right away and let you know what we find out as soon as possible' said Vikram.

'Pankaj, I want you to prepare a detailed report on this. I need to forward it to ACP sir tonight. And Shreya it's your job to analyse the diary' said Daya.

'Sure' said Shreya. 'It is Jia funeral tomorrow' she reminded him.

'Yes. We are going there tomorrow. I forgot to tell you. It will be interesting to watch who turns up for it.' said Daya.

'We?' asked Shreya.

'Yes. You and I' said Daya.

'But...'

'Now get going with the diary. I have an urgent call to make' said Daya before Shreya could protest further and walked out of the Cabin.  
 **  
O-o-o-o**

The next day, Daya and Shreya attended Jia's funeral held at a church. It filled with sombre looking people dressed in formal black clothes, whispering to one another. A lot of people had showed up, Jia's colleagues, friends and family members amongst them. Some of them had written a small speech for Jia and the surrounding were often accentuated with stifled sobs, whenever the speakers recalled a fond memory of Jia.

However the sombre demeanour didn't last much. It wasn't long before Shreya overheard them discussing lunch plans for the following week. She couldn't believe how selfish they could be. They didn't seem to care that a young girl had lost her life. That she had been brutally murdered. She was horrified to see the stark and horrid reality behind their masks.

The media persons cornered them soon and began pestering them with questions about the case.

Shreya spoke occasionally but Daya handled them well giving out only the necessary information. By the time it was all over and they reached bureau, it was almost evening.

Daya told her to go home and she was glad for it. She decided that she would go home, take and warm shower and then set to work on Jia's diary. She was quiet eager to decipher the hidden clues from her diary.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

'It's too late!' his mind argued with him.

'I am sure, she will be awake looking for clues in Jia's diary.' said Daya.

'She might be but this isn't the right time for you to be there'

'I am just going to ask here if she's found out anything interesting' argued Daya.

'She would have called you if she had found something!'

'Oh shut up! Just go away!' snapped Daya. He had had enough chat with his mind. He knew what he wanted.

Without wasting another minute, he buttoned his shirt and grabbed the car keys. He slammed the door shut and proceeded towards his car ignoring the feeble cries of his mind telling him to turn back.

 **O-o-o-o**

Sleep deprived even after the entire day's exhaustion, Shreya settled comfortably on her bed and propped open Jia's diary.

It wasn't systematically written, much to Shreya's frustration. In fact Shreya doubted whether it had been Jia's personal diary at all.

Jia had drawn little figures on every page which included a hearts, cupids, flowers and what not. Some pages were left blank while on some pages Jia had scribbled lines which made no sense to Shreya whatsoever.

Eventually her handwriting became untidier and smaller in font making it very difficult to read.

Shreya scowled. 'This is such a waste of time' she hissed.

She turned the page and read the lines written on the page -

 _I tried to hate you, to forgive you, all just to forget you, but I'm only capable of loving you. You're tattooed onto my skin, and the more I try to erase you, the deeper you sink in. I love you, my love._

Shreya quite liked the quote. It made her remind of someone... something which she desperately wanted to forget... she didn't know why he kept popping in front of her eyes - DING DONG!

Shreya let out a terrified scream and the diary fell onto the floor with a thud.

'Bloody doorbell!' she muttered angrily.

Once her heartbeat returned to normal, she tiptoed into the hallway. She glanced at the the clock which showed quarter to twelve. She had no clue as to who could be her visitor at that time. Instinctively she reached for her gun and pulled open the door very slowly.

Standing outside the door was none other than - 'DAYA!'

'Thank god you are awake. You took a lot of time to open the door. I was thinking of turning back' said Daya marching inside her house.

Still bewildered by his sudden arrival Shreya asked, 'What are you doing here?'

'Gun?' said Daya smirking at the gun in her right hand. 'Were you expecting someone to attack you?'

'Well, I've got to be careful' said Shreya shrugging.

'Yeah, risky job, working with CID' said Daya casually.

'What are you doing here?' she asked again.

'I was hungry.' said Daya simply.

'WHAT?'

'Yeah I was hungry and I was bored to eat alone. So thought I should check if I can get some company' said Daya.

'This is insane! And we had a deal, remember? We weren't supposed to meet during off duty hours' said Shreya.

'Yes but we can bend the rules sometimes, can't we?' said Daya.

'No, we can't! You are not supposed to be here!' said Shreya hotly.

'Going to kick me out, are you?' asked Daya smirking.

Shreya shook with fury. 'Maybe I am!' she said angrily. 'You just can't barge into my house without my permission!'

'Alright, I will go but can't you permit me to stay inside for next fifteen minutes at least? I will just make a sandwich for myself and then I will leave. I promise. Besides the real reason I came was to ask if you found out anything in that diary' said Daya.

'You could have asked that over the phone, Daya. There was no need to come here' said Shreya.

Daya stared at her for a moment and then said, 'Fine. I am leaving'

He was almost at the door when Shreya said, 'Wait! You can stay'

'No, that's fine... I am okay' said Daya.

Shreya sighed and slammed the door shut before he could step outside.

'Sandwich with or without cheese?' she asked.

'With cheese. Thank you' said Daya.

'Alright' said Shreya and walked into the kitchen, not missing Daya's slight smirk.

Daya walked behind her into the kitchen humming softly to himself as Shreya began to prepare sandwich for him.

He couldn't help staring at her wrapped in the navy blue night gown. He wanted to touch her, run his hands over her soft arms and -

'Coffee?' Shreya interrupted his lusty thoughts.

'Y - yes' said Daya.

Shreya watched him closely. He looked slightly out of breath.

'What's the matter?' she asked.

'Nothing... just too hot in here' he said hoping she wouldn't notice the obvious double entendre.

Shreya squirmed under his intense gaze. No! She had to get a grip on herself!

'Ha! That's strange... I feel really c - cold' said Shreya.

'Oh, I know so many ways to warm you' Daya wanted to say but he stopped himself just in time.

'Uh... why don't you sit in the living room? I am almost done' ssid Shreya.

'Can I have a look at Jia's diary?' asked Daya.

'Sure. It is in my bedroom' said Shreya.

'I will get it' said Daya. He saw the diary on the floor and smiled. Picking it up, he came back in the living room.

They sat side by side on the couch sipping Coffee and discussing about the case. Daya took a bite of the sandwich and said,'They are delicious. Thanks'

'That's okay' Shreya smiled at him.

'So, what about the diary?' asked Daya.

'I got nothing yet. She's written some ridiculous poetry which doesn't make any sense to me. I was so angry! I mean I had expected to find something worthwhile and when I didn't -'

'You thought you should just chuck it away? I found it on the floor' asked Daya smiling.

'Obviously not!' said Shreya. 'I was reading it but the ringing of the doorbell startled me and the diary just slipped out of my hand and fell to the floor.

'I see' said Daya. 'Well, I think you didn't go through it properly. She's written something... take a look...'

Shreya glanced at Jia's diary entry, two months before her death.

 _Dear Diary,_

 _I hit my boss today. He was trying to force himself on me. I would have loved it but today I wasn't in a mood. So I kicked him hard in the shins and ran away before he could do me any harm._

'See? I am sure we will find something in this. The next pages are filled with entries just like this.' said Daya.

'Well, I hadn't got that far!' said Shreya defensively. 'I was still looking at her April entries when you came and distracted me'

'So I am a distraction, am I?' asked Daya.

'Oh you can't simply be a distraction' said Shreya.

'Then what am I?' asked Daya playfully

'A very handsome man who still makes me go weak in the knees' Shreya wanted to say but decided to keep quiet.

'Yes? Is it that hard to tell?' prompted Daya finishing his sandwich.

'No, it's not. But I am sleepy and I think you should head back to your house now. You have been here for half an hour in case you haven't noticed' said Shreya.

'Oh yeah, I keep forgetting that ruddy deal of ours' said Daya.

'Oh don't worry, I will be happy to remind you' said Shreya.

Daya stood up sipping the last remnants of his coffee.

'Thanks for your hospitality' said Daya with a smile.

'No problem' said Shreya.

'Well... bye then' he said.

'Bye' she said.

'Goodnight' he murmured.

'Yeah goodnight' she said staring at him.

He locked his gaze with her.

'A - aren't you leaving?' Shreya murmured.

'Yes... I am' said Daya moving closer to her.

'I will see you tomorrow' said Shreya, her gaze still arrested upon his handsome face.

'I am sure you will.' said Daya moving even closer so that his face was inches away from her.

Her heart was thudding loudly and she was sure even he could hear it clearly. He suddenly caught her wrist and put her hand to his heart.

Shreya drew a sharp intake of breath. His heart was pounding just like hers! She could feel it!

Her lips parted slightly as she looked at him.

'See? See what you do to me? You can feel that, can't you? And I know you feel the same too' he whispered.

'Daya please...' she voiced softly.

But Daya paid no attention. He ran his fingers gently down her arm making her shiver uncontrollably.

'You look gorgeous. Navy blue suits you' he said.

She didn't know what was happening to her. How could a simple touch elicit a wave of passion inside her?

She felt him gently brushing her hair away from her neck. And when his lips grazed softly against her neck, she closed her eyes and a low moan escaped her.

That was enough for him to lose his control. The tension, the need which had been building inside them since his arrival was finally relieved. He pulled her roughly into his arms abandoning all rational thought.

He crushed his lips upon hers and was surprised by her immediate response.

Her hands pulled at his hair and her tongue explored his mouth. The kiss was deep and intoxicating. The touches were urgent and desperate.

Daya wanted to rip off that flimsy nightgown of hers and make her his. She was trembling in his arms and he was sure she wouldn't object him at all. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her flush against his body.

And suddenly, as if she had been hit by a bolt of lightning, Shreya jerked back to her senses. What the hell was happening? This was wrong! Very, very wrong.

Daya was halfway unbuttoning her gown when she angrily pushed him away.

'Get away from me! What the hell are you doing?' she shouted.

Still panting, Daya started wide eyed at her and he realised in horror that they had gone too far. That he had gone too far.

'Shreya...' he began.

'Shut up! Just get the hell out my house!' she yelled.

'Look I am sorry for what happened...'

'Sorry?! We weren't supposed to kiss! We weren't supposed to get physical!'

'I know! But it just happened Shreya. We got carried away' said Daya in a frustrated tone.

'You got carried away!' she screamed.

'Me, is it? So I am at fault like always right? You wanted this too! Don't deny it. You responded to the kiss with the same passion!' he said.

'I regret whatever happened. I feel disgusted. I -'

'You regret what happened?' He asked.

'Yes I do!' she said.

'Don't lie to me. Both of us permitted this to happen. I am not at fault alone' he said.

'This was the reason why I was refusing to let you in. This was the reason why I didn't want us to meet except for work purposes!' she shouted still trying to stop the erratic beating of her heart.

'Why are you denying what you feel for me Shreya? You knew this would happen! You were scared and that's why you put so many conditions! Why are you running away from me? ' Daya shouted.

'Becuase I want to!' she yelled in a superior tone. 'I don't want us to get together. Ever! You understand that?'

'You can't run away from your feelings, damn it! And why don't you want us to be together? Siddharth isn't in your life anymore who was the reason for our supposed breakup. You are not dating anyone else, then what's the problem?' he asked.

'Don't you dare!' she shrieked. 'Siddharth was not a reason for I breakup! I got engaged with him because you were too scared to confess your feelings! Don't you dare blame him'

'That's past. Let's forget that! I am here today and I am telling you that I Lo-'

'STOP IT!' she yelled. 'Stop this nonsense. I don't want to hear anything from you, alright? Just get out and don't ever come back. We can never get together. Never! Don't go hoping that I will forget whatever happened in the past. You don't knw what I have gone through! It was a terrible time for me. Please Daya, don't hurt me anymore. I can't take this. I will collapse. Please leave me alone... please' she said in a teary voice.

'I know I have hurt you in the past. But give me a chance this time. I swear I will make it up to you. I will make you happy' said Daya.

'No... please... just go away' said Shreya.

'But why not? Just give me one ruddy reason-' said Daya.

'I don't trust you' said Shreya looking at him.

'What?' he asked.

'I don't trust you anymore. What if you leave me like you did the last time? What if you don't care for me? I am scared Daya. I am scared to fall in love again' said Shreya.

He stared at her dumbstruck. _Had she been that deep? What the hell had he done? Had he hurt her so much that she was scared to love or trust anybody again?_

'Just go!' she said in aloud voice. She sounded angry, wounded.

'I am sorry' he murmured. 'This will never happen again. I promise I won't see you outside workplace. I am really sorry for making your life so complicated, Shreya. If I can be of any help...'

'Yes, you can' said Shreya.

'What?' asked Daya.

'Keep your word and please stay away from me. Leave me alone. Please' she said.

Daya let out a defeated sigh. He stared at her for a moment and finally left her house, anguish etched upon his face.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

After Daya left, Shreya collapsed on the couch. She felt emotionally drained.

'I shouldn't have accepted this offer in first place. I am so hopelessly in love with him! Damn! When he kissed me, it felt as if nothing had changed between us. The two years when we were apart didn't even exist.' she murmured.

She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

'I can't let this happen to me. ACP sir has given me a responsibility and I cannot let him down. Daya is not going to ruin this. Never! But I cannot work with him. Once this case is solved I will go back. I can't stay here because me and Daya can never be together again. I cannot do this anymore' she thought.

Not feeling sleepy at all, she pulled Jia's personal diary towards her. She needed to work. 'The sooner the case is solved, the better' she thought. Besides, Jia's silly poetry would distract her from Daya's aftershave which was still in the air.

So she began. Jia's diary entries seemed to go on forever. A quarter of an hour later, Shreya was about to close the book when a diary entry caught her eye.

 _Dear Diary,_

 _Guess who I met today? Divya! After all these years she still looks the same. Oops. Not met, saw. I saw her. Our eyes met. I could see a flicker of genuine smile on her face before she adopted her usual hateful expression reserved for me. Stupid bitch! As if I give a damn! Obviously I ignored her. She's still a broke and imagine what a scandal it would have been if the media had seen me speaking with a broke girl. She doesn't belong to my world anymore. She doesn't belong to my class. She is not rich. She dresses too middle class. So I had the entire right to ignore her. And I haven't forgotten the threatening texts she had sent me. Asshole. As if she could do me any harm!_

Shreya's heart was pounding. This Divya character certainly seemed interesting. Was she the one who they were looking for? Why had she threatened Jia? What was this all about?

So many new questions had popped up suddenly. But the they didn't know what Divya looked like or why Divya was right now. They had spoken to so many witnesses but none of them had mentioned anything about Divya.

Shreya didn't know why but she had a feeling that this Divya had something to do with Jia's death. She dialled Vikram's number right away.

A few rings later, he answered.

'Bilmey! Shreya, have you seen the time? It's almost 3 am!' Vikram answered groggily.

'I am so sorry. I - I seriously lost the track of time' said Shreya.

'It's okay. What is it? You got something important?' he asked.

'Yeah, I guess so. I wanted to know whether the sketch artist has sent you the sketch of a person who tried to pry open Jia's gym locker.' she said.

'He did but I am afraid it is not going to be of much help. The gym owner couldn't remember much. We just know that it was a girl with long auburn hair. Very thin and she was about your height' said Vikram.

'How did she get in? Does the gym have CCTV camera's installed?' asked Shreya.

'No CCTV camera's were installed. She got in from the window. The glass was smashed. The owner saw her and asked who she was. She hit him and rushed outside before he could raise alarm.' said Vikram.

'How does he know that she was a girl?' asked Shreya.

'From her long hair. And she wore a ring on her finger with a flowery pattern. Certainly not the guy type' said Vikram.

'Okay, but that's not much' she said glumly.

'What did you find?' he asked.

'It was just a diary entry. Anyway, I will tell you everything in detail tomorrow. Sorry for disturbing you at such a late hour. See you' said Shreya.

'No problem. See you tomorrow. Good night' said Vikram and disconnected the call.

'Was it a girl who tried to steal this diary? What if that girl was Divya? Who could this Divya be? Her roommate? Her friend? Why would she threaten her?' she wondered.

Shreya reread the diary entry. Her eyes lingered on the lines - _After all these years, she still looked the same._

'That's it! So Jia knew Divya from a very long time. Maybe they were roommates? Yeah, that was the most likely possibility. If only her deaf owner could give her some information!' thought Shreya.

Something had to be done. But what? Shreya paced the living room thinking. Finally she reached the decision. It was totally insane and dangerous but she couldn't see any other option. She stripped off her nightgown and wore a fresh pair of jeans and formal shirt. She grabbed all the essentials as well as Jia's diary. She had decided to sneak into the apartment which Jia had rented when she was a newbie. She was going to look for clues without the owner knowing.

 **O-o-o-o**

Shreya parked her car two blocks away. As she approached the destination, she heard noises. She hid behind a huge tree maintaining a safe distance between herself and the apartment. She could see flashing lights of local police cars.

'What the hell is this all about? Local police?' she said aloud.

There was a slight rusting noise behind her and before she could turn, a sharp voice spoke, 'Don't move! Hand up and turn around! I am armed!'

'Who is it?' asked Shreya.

'Police. Turn around now. Any funny business, I will shoot' said the same sharp voice.

'Woah easy! This is Officer Shreya, CID' said Shreya turning to face him.

The officer narrowed his eyes at her. 'Your ID?' he asked.

'Here' said Shreya flashing her CID badge.

'Oh! I am sorry officer but one can't trust anybody these days without looking at proofs' he said shrugging.

'Yeah, right. What's going on here?' she asked.

'Someone attempted to break into the house' said the officer.

'What?!' said Shreya aghast.

'Nothing actually was taken. The owner is tone deaf. Lucky she was in kitchen fetching a glass of water when it happened. Else she wouldn't have noticed' said the officer.

'Shit!' Shreya exclaimed. 'You sure nothing was taken?'

'Nope. Like I said the owner was damn lucky. She raised alarm in time' said the officer.

'Any idea who the burglars were or what were they looking for?' asked Shreya.

'No. Nobody saw them. And they had managed to smash the window of the last bedroom. We haven't got anything else' said the officer.

'Okay. I expect you will forward a copy of your report to CID tomorrow. This might be important. This places is connected with Jia Dsouza murder.' said Shreya.

'Really? I didn't know that' said the officer sounding surprised.

'Yeah, Jia rented this place some time ago' said Shreya. 'Anyway I'll get going.'

'Should I walk you till the front door? It will be best if we let the owner know about your arrival. She will think the burglar has returned' said the officer.

'No, thank you. I do not wish to see the owner tonight. I have something else on my mind. I'll be careful.' said Shreya. 'Are you done with questioning and all?'

'Yes Ma'am. We were about to leave' said the officer.

'Okay then' said Shreya with a swift smile.

She walked back towards her car. She would have to wait for the owner to fall asleep again and then she would have to sneak inside.

 **O-o-o-o**

It was 4.30 am when Shreya climbed inside the room. She passed the old lady's room and was glad to see that the old lady was fast asleep.

She switched on the flashlight and began to look inside the cabinets and cupboards. She wasn't sure what she was looking for but she hoped to find something related to Jia. Fortunately, the owner hadn't bothered to clean the clutter which the previous tenants had left. It was just stacked away in the cartons and boxes.

At 6.30 am, Shreya sat in the floor feeling exhausted. Her search had obtained no results so far. She had found it extremely difficult to look for clues with a flashlight but she couldn't have risked switching on the light. As the sky brightened, she looked around the room to see the mess she had created.

Sighing, he began putting the papers, books, and other things back in the carton. As she put away last of the things, she noticed something on the floor. It was an old photograph of Jia with a girl! They were on a beach, arm on arm. They looked quite young, carefree and happy. She turned the photograph over and recognised Jia's handwriting at once in the bottom right corner.

She had drawn a heart with **BFF's** written in it and below were the names - **Jia and Divya**.

Shreya let out a whoop of joy. This was it! She had found what Divya looked like! Her joy knew no bounds. Maybe this was what the burglars were looking for. She stuffed the photograph hastily in her back pocket. She decided she would go home to freshen up. Then sometime later she would come here again to question the owner once again. Maybe she would tell her something after looking at the photograph.

She checked the room to see everything was in its proper place. Then she carefully climbed out of the smashed window. She quickly made her way towards the car feeling happy and excited.

Just as she was about to insert the keys, she saw a shadow in the window. Before she could make any movement, something hard hit her head. Immense pain shot up in her head. She touched her wound and it felt wet.

'Oh my god! It's blood! It's' she muttered staggering and collapsed on the floor. Her vision was blurred. If she could only see her attacker!

She reached her front pocket to withdraw her gun but someone kicked hard at her hand.

'Noooooo!' Shreya wailed.

Shreya heard someone open her car.

'Is the diary here?' a female voice questioned.

'Yes. I have it' said a male voice.

'Remove her cellphone and her gun and fling it away.' commanded the female voice.

The man did as he was told.

'Good. Now let us drag her into the woods. Let the CID worry a little. Till then we can do our work peacefully' spoke the female voice.

She felt someone grab her feet and the other person grabbed her hands. They led her deeper into the woods.

'She's moving' said the male voice.

'Bitch!' the female voice said and she was hit hard on her head one more time.

She didn't even have the time to cry out in pain before the surroundings around her blacked out and she knew no more.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

'Goddamn it! Where the hell is she?' Daya yelled making everyone jump.

'Sir I can't reach her cellphone. I don't know why it is outside the coverage area' said Pankaj.

'I can't believe anybody can be so irresponsible! We are in the middle of a case here and she's gone on her own without informing anyone. What the hell!' said Daya angrily.

'When did Shreya call you Vikram? Did she say that she was going somewhere?' asked Daya.

'No sir. She didn't mention about going anywhere. She had told me she had found something in Jia's diary but she didn't say what exactly. She seemed pretty excited She had called me at 3 in the morning.' said vikram.

'She didn't mention anything to me either' Daya murmured absentmindedly.

'Had you met her yesterday, sir?' asked Vikram.

'Yeah I was with her till 1 am maybe and then...' said Daya not realising that everyone was staring at him wide eyed.

Daya and Shreya were together at 1 am? This was news! Something was definitely cooking!

Realising that he had said a bit too much, Daya looked at Vikram who hastily looked away averting his gaze. The silence in the room was very uncomfortable. But to Daya's relief, diversion came in the form of Jaywanti. She sounded extremely worried.

'Sir, something is wrong. I traced Shreya ma'am's cellphone just to make sure. I am getting a very feeble signal somewhere in the woods. And it's not moving!' she said.

'What?' said Daya in a panicky voice.

'Sir, we should go and look for her immediately. What if something has happened to her?' asked Vikram in a worried voice.

Daya looked troubled.

'Had something happened to her? Had the bitter spat between them provoked her to do something reckless? But she wasn't... God, Shreya I hope you are okay - '

'Sir? Shall we go and look for Shreya?' asked Vikram breaking into his thoughts.

Daya felt he twinge of annoyance looking at Vikram's concern for her.

'I will go and look' said Daya.

Everyone stared at him.

'One of you can accompany me. Others get back to work' commanded Daya.

'Sir I will come with you. Please sir.' said Vikram.

'Okay' said Daya a bit reluctantly.

 **O-o-o-o**

Once the reached the destination they saw shreya's car and they knew they were in the right place. They spread out immediately looking for her.

Daya's heart was thudding loudly. He was filled with a feeling of dread. 'Please god, let her be okay' he murmured looking around for any sign of her.

He was about to move deeper into the woods, when he heard Vikram's voice. He sounded scared.

Nerves jangling, Daya rushed in the direction of the sound.

He saw Vikram crouching over Shreya's unconscious form. Daya made his way towards the pair of them and he knew after throwing one look at her that the situation was indeed very bad.

She looked ghostly pale. A pool of blood lay to the right side of her head where the assailant had hit her.

'What's wrong with her?' Daya asked urgently.

'Sir, she is breathing I think. Somebody hit her on the head.' said Vikram. 'I will call the ambulance'

'No, I will drive her to the hospital. We can't wait till the ambulance arrives. Get the car. Quick!' said Daya and Vikram went immediately to get the car.

Daya caught her hand tightly and his other hand tangled into her hair. He didn't know whether she would be able to understand or not yet he whispered soothingly, 'You are going to be alright. You are safe. I am not going to let anything happen to you.' He hesitated a bit and then whispered, 'I love you Shreya'

A hour later found Daya and Vikram waiting in the hospital for Shreya to gain consciousness. She was completely out of danger, the doctor had assured them. Daya was desperate to know what had happened the previous night.

Another half an hour later, Shreya had finished recounted the everything that had happened the previous night.

Daya peered carefully at the photograph of Jia and her friend Divya and then passed it on to Vikram.

'Bloody hell! This is something totally new. Never heard about Divya from anybody whom I have questioned so far.' said Vikram.

'I think we should match the sketch with this photograph. I have a feeling that Divya is the girl we are looking for' said Shreya.

'Yes. I think so too' agreed Daya, appearing deep in thought.

'I don't know, sir. The sketch is too bad. The guy in the gym couldn't remember anything. I think he was just inventing stuff' said Vikram.

'Hmmm... still we can't take any chances. I think you better go nd show him the actual picture. I have told Pankaj to forward this photograph to all local police stations. Any sighting of Divya will be informed immediately. Jaywanti has gone to the police station to get the report of the theft which happened yesterday. I am going to have a little chat with the deaf owner. I think she might be able to help us' said Daya.

'What am I going to do?' asked Shreya. 'The doctor said that I am completely out of danger. The blow was too hard and that's why I fell unconscious. I can get back to work -'

'You are going home. You are going to take full day rest and you are going to join us tomorrow' said Daya sternly.

'I can't possibly do that!' said Shreya sounding aghast. 'We are almost on the verge of solving the case -'

'We have other officers, Shreya. The doctor told me that you need full day's rest to recover completely.' said Daya.

'But -' Shreya began to protest.

'I said no. I am the boss and you are going to follow my orders' said Daya.

'You are not my boss here! This is my personal decision' said Shreya flaring up.

'Please stop arguing Shreya. Calm down and eat your breakfast' said Daya pointing to the untouched food plate.

'Sir, if you want to interrogate the owner I can drive Shreya home' said Vikram.

'No, I am going to drive her home. I think you better leave. We can't afford to waste anymore time.' said Daya.

'Okay sir' said Vikram sounding slightly put out. 'Take care Shreya. Get well soon' he said and left.

When they were alone, Shreya faced Daya, her face contorted with fury.

'You can't stop me! You have no right' she said.

'I can. You know that' said Daya.

'What the hell Daya? Why do you always have to be so dominating? Why-'

'Are you insane?' Daya shouted making her stop talking.

She stared at him. There was a certain angry, wild look in his eye.

'You almost got yourself killed yesterday! Did you even think about me? Why did you have to go there alone? Couldn't you inform anybody? I was so worried when I saw you unconscious! For a minute I thought I had lost you. I do care about you very much you know!' he said.

Shreya stared at him, shocked by his sudden outburst.

As she realised what he had said, she felt warm within herself. She felt protected and safe.

A moment later, she mumbled a feeble "sorry" without meeting his eye.

Before Daya could reply, the doctor cam inside to tell Daya that he needed to sign a papers to complete the discharge formalities.

Sometime later, Daya drove Shreya to her home. The entire ride passed in silence. They went to her apartment where Daya helped her settle comfortably on her bed.

'Please Shreya, take some rest. You can come to bureau tomorrow' said Daya.

Shreya nodded slowly.

For a moment they stared at one another and then Daya said, 'I am really sorry about yesterday. I shouldn't have got carried away...'

Remembering what he was referring to, she looked away blushing furiously.

Daya couldn't help feeling happy. He could feel a glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe he had a chance. He wanted to talk to her right then. He wanted to take her in his arms and tell her how much he had missed her and how much he still loved her. But he had a case to solve. This could wait.

Very reluctantly, he said, 'I have to go. There is so much more to do' he said. 'I will come back in the evening. If you need anything at all, I am just a phone call away, okay?'

'Yes. I am okay. Don't worry about me' she said smiling at him.

And then with one brief look at her, he left her apartment. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

'Sir! At last we have found something!' came Vikram's excited voice over the phone.

'What is it?' asked Daya.

'I spoke to the gym owner. He recognised Divya. She was the one who had come to steal Jia's diary.' said Vikram breathlessly.

'Fantastic. Now inform all the local police station and city exit points about this. I want barricades put everywhere. Scan and send her photograph to every police station. I will speak with ACP sir. We will give orders to detain her at the nearest police station. She shouldn't escape. I am sure she's the one who had killed Jia. I am going to her old place of residence to speak with the owner.' said Daya.

'Yes sir.' said Vikram in an urgent voice.

'I want you to join me after you finish this. And yes, get a hearing machine with you' said Daya. 'It's for the dead owner to listen carefully and speak'

Vikram laughed. 'Right sir. I will be there in an hour'

 **O-o-o-o**

 **Next Day -**

The CID bureau was in frenzy. There was a flurry of activity and no one had time a single spare moment.

'The owner didn't say much but he remembered Divya. She was Jia's roommate. Nobody knew about her because she was sharing apartment with Jia during very early stage of her career. Jia wasn't famous at that time.' Daya told ACP Pradyuman.

'And you say she was the one who broke into her previous owner's house and attacked Shreya?' asked ACP Pradyuman.

'Yes. I think she had come to destroy all the evidences. It's obvious that she didn't want us to know about her connection with Jia. The case is all over media. She must have come to know that we are holding enquiry where Jia stayed during her struggling period' said Daya.

ACP Pradyuman was about to speak when the door opened and Shreya walked in.

She was surrounded immediately by her colleagues asking her whether she all right.

'Feeling better Shreya?' asked ACP Pradyuman.

'Yes sir' she said smiling.

'You really did a wonderful job, working that out from Jia's diary entries.' said ACP Pradyuman.

'Thank you sir' said Shreya. She then turned to look at Daya who hadn't spoken a single word since her arrival.

She gave him a small smile and a look which assured him that she was indeed feeling better.

He finally gave her a small nod of approval and a swift smile.

'We have to get hold of her sir, else this is going to be very difficult' said Vikram

'Any updates since her escape yesterday?' asked ACP Pradyuman.

'Escape?' asked Shreya.

'The local police had almost nabbed her at Marine Drive yesterday but somehow she escaped. She checked into some hotel under a fake name. One of the hotel staff recognised her as he had seen her photograph on the on the televsion. But she got the whiff and she escaped once again. She has been on run since then. We have sent a team and tightened the security. Hopefully, she will be in our custody soon' said ACP Pradyuman.

'Sir the press is here' said Pankaj walking in.

'Good. Daya come with me' said ACP Pradyuman and together they walked out of the cabin.

'ACP sir wants to do a press release urging those who know Divya to come forward and help the police. Her relatives, friends. Maybe they can tell us to which places she would possibly go' Pankaj explained.

'Huh! This is really frustrating' ssid Shreya slumping into a nearby chair.

'I still don't understand the motive behind the murder' said Pankaj.

'I can think of only one motive at the moment - revenge. The way Jia had written about Divya in her diary, something must have gone terribly wrong between them. Maybe Jia did something bad when she became famous ad Divya murdered her to seek revenge' said Shreya.

'Hmm. Maybe' said Pankaj.

 **Few Hours later -**

'Mam, there's a lady who claiming to be Divya's aunt. She says she has something to tell us' said Jaywanti.

'Bring her in' said Shreya urgently.

She grabbed a pencil and a paper and put the recorder on. Her nerves were jangling with excitement.

In no time, a short plump woman was ushered inside. She looked slightly nervous and offered Shreya a weak smile.

Shreya offered her a seat and signalled Jaywanti to sit next to her.

'Please take a seat' said Shreya and offered her a glass of water.

'T -thank you' she said nervously.

'There is no need to be afraid. Please relax. Can you just tell me your name?' asked Shreya gently.

'M -meena Iyer. I- I saw Divya over the news and decided to come here. She - she is innocent. She didn't do anything' said Meena.

'Yes. I appreciate that you came forward and decided to help. Can we just start from the beginning? I'll ask you a few questions and you just have to answer them. There is no need to feel nervous.' said Shreya with a reassuring smile.

The woman nodded.

'I am recording our conversation so that I can show it to my senior' said Shreya and the woman nodded her approval.

'Who all are there in Divya's family?' asked Shreya.

'It's just me. Her parents passed away when she was young. I raised her after the demise of her parents. I wanted her to take higher studies. But Divya wanted to do modelling. So she came to Mumbai. She used to stay in touch over the phone. I knew she was staying as paying guest. So me and my husband decided to shift to Mumbai as well. We sold our house and bought a new flat in Mumbai. Divya stayed with us for some days and then she eventually moved out again with her boyfriend Ravi' said Meena making a disgusted face.

'Don't you like Ravi?' asked Shreya.

'There is nothing to like about him!' said Meena in an agitated voice. 'He is a broke. He destroyed my niece's life. I am sure he has something to do with Jia's murder!'

'Why is that?' asked Shreya.

'He is a crazy person. He would do anything to get revenge' said Meena.

'Okay, let's go over this step by step. Divya and Jia were friends, right? So what exactly happened with them?' asked Shreya.

'Jia and Divya were very good friends. They shared an apartment when they were struggling to get work in Bombay. I don't know what happened exactly but Jia got a big assignment and Divga didn't. Jia literally became a star overnight. Divya got very angry with her due to this. She kept telling me that Jia had cheated but how exactly, she didn't tell. Moreover, after becoming famous, Jia startee ignoring Divya. Divya had cried so many times over it. She was really hurt. I wanted her to continue her education and she had almost said yes when Ravi came into her life and led her back to the destructive path. He brought her petty modelling assignments and eventually she moved in with him. I and my husband tried to tell her that Ravi was not a good person but she didn't listen to us. She was madly in love with him' said Meena sniffing.

'Have you seen Ravi? What does he do for a living?' asked Shreya.

'I have seen him once or twice. He does portfolio for models. He runs a charity too. But I think it's a sham' said Meena.

'Why do you think he murdered Jia?' asked Shreya.

'He used to say that Divya didn't get her first assignement because Jia cheated on her' said Meena.

'But how would murdering Jia help Ravi? Murdering Jia wasn't going to get Divya her assignment back.' said Shreya.

'But her death would make him rich. Divya had told me once that Jia had agreed to give some amount to his charity'said Meena.

'And that amount would be received after Jia's death?' asked Shreya.

'Maybe. I don't know exactly. But he is a bad guy. I know it.' said Meena.

'What's name of his charity?' asked Shreya.

'I am sorry but I don't know' said Meena.

'Do you have Ravi's photograph, contact number or address?' asked Shreya.

'No'

'Can you remember what he looks like? Can you help us make a sketch of him?' asked Shreya.

'I have seen him just twice. I don't think I will be able to make his sketch for you' said Meena.

'Well, just tell our sketch artist whatever you can remember.' said Shreya.

'Okay' agreed Meena.

'Is there anything else you want to tell? Anything suspicious?' asked Shreya.

'No. I can't think of anything at the moment.'

'Jia was murdered with a butcher knife. Have you seen it anywhere in Divya's room or something?' asked Shreya

'No' said Meena.

'Okay. Thank you for coming Mrs Iyer. You provided us very useful information.' said Shreya.

'What about my niece? You won't punish her, will you?'

'If she is innocent, we will let her go. But right now I cannot guarantee you anything because she is on run. Because the police are looking for her everywhere since last night' said Shreya.

'Well, she must be scared!' said Meena.

'Why is she afraid if she hasn't done anything?' asked Shreya.

'But you don't have any proof against her, do you?' asked Meena.

'We want her for questioning. And she is a prime suspect in an attempt to break into a house and a gym locker and attacking a CID officer' said Shreya.

'What?! This can't be true!' said Meena sounding terrified.

'We will keep you posted Mrs Iyer. I assure you that if she is not guilty, nothing will happen to her' ssid Shreya. 'Now I will arrange for the sketch artist. Please tell whatever detail you remember about Ravi'

'Yes' said Meena.

'Just one last question. Can you think of any place where Divya can go? Do you know any place she frequented? Where is she likely to hide while on run from the cops?' asked Shreya.

'No. I cannot think of any' said Meena after a minute.

Shreya nodded and ushered Meena Iyer outside. Then she went to ACP Pradyuman's cabin to tell him and Daya about the things she had found out.

 **O-o-o-o**

Minutes passed by and the day had almost come to an end. A special team had been deployed by CID to search for Divya but they had had no luck so far. The wait had put everyone in bad mood. The entire investigation had come to a standstill. Almost everyone was sure that Divya had killed Jia but unless she was found they could not gather concrete evidence to support their theory.

At 12.30 am just when they were about to leave for home, Vikram barged in, looking completely out of breath. 'Sir, the police have arrested Divya.' he announced amidst the cheers of relief.

'I want her here. Right now' said ACP Pradyuman.

'Sir, she will be here in no time' said Vikram.

 **O-o-o-o**

Divya looked very calm when she was brought to the CID bureau. Her face was impassive and it showed neither nor remourse. She waited patiently in the interrogation room waiting for the questioning to begin.

'We have been looking for you since long, Divya', said ACP Pradyuman. 'You are our prime suspect in murder of model Jia D'souza. Also, we suspect that you and your crime partner attacked one of our CID officers'

There was a moment of pause and then Divya said, 'I don't deny it'


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

'Look Divya, we know you are involved in this murder. It would be better for us and you if you tell us everything and that too truthfully.' said ACP Pradyuman taking a chair.

'I want Daya a d Vikram here' said ACP Pradyuman in an undertone to Shreya.

Shreya found Daya talking to someone on the cellphone. When he hung up, she said, 'Where is Vikram? ACP sir wants us inside'

'Is she speaking?' asked Daya.

'Yes. I think we have found the right person' said Shreya.

'Good' said Daya. At that precise moment Vikram joined them.

'I told Jaywanti to check Divya's cellphone for Ravi's number. I also told her to check her bag' he said.

'Trace his location from his cellphone. I want him here for questioning' said Daya.

'Yes sir.' said Vikram.

Once Daya, Shreya and Vikram joined ACP Pradyuman in the interrogation room, the questioning began.

'Did you commit the murder?' asked Daya.

Divya hesitated for a moment and then said, 'Yes. I killed her'

ACP Pradyuman and Daya exchanged a look and then Daya asked, 'Why did you do it?'

'Jia and I were best friends. Infact Jia was my first friend in Bombay. I had met her at an audition. We hit it off instantly. Both of us were in struggling period and we shared a lot of common interests. We were really passionate about our work. I had a few savings of my own and we decided to rent a place. We found a cheap place. The owner was old and deaf. She didn't really mind us coming late. Initially we got some small assignments which were enough for us to pay monthly rent and other daily necessities. We were young and carefree. We didn't really bother about anything.

Once on my set, I met a high school friend of mine. She had worked with a famous designer in the past and that designer was looking for fresher to work with him as a model. It was an inside news. I was estatic. I asked her whether I can bring a friend along but she said denied it. I was sad because I really wanted to do something for Jia. After going home I told her all about it. She too looked crestfallen but ultimately she told me to go and give the audition and not to worry about her.

I assured her that if I got the job I would speak to them about her. She acted so humble and touched. Little did I know that that bitch was planning against me.

On the day of the audition, I dressed in my best costume and went earlier than the time I was expected. The guard refused to let me in. I called my high School friend and she gave me the most shocking news. The place was already taken by someone else. She didn't know who the girl was. She kept apologizing to me again and again over the phone.

I cried the entire day. The feeling of being rejected was frustrating and demoralising. When I went home Jia greeted me with a happy face. She told me she had got a job. She didn't tell me where though. I didn't ask. I was not in the mood. Nevertheless, I was happy for her. After listening to my tragedy, she offered me her fake sympathies.

About two weeks later, when I got up one morning, I saw Jia all packed up. She was hurrying out of the door. A taxi was waiting for her outside. When I asked her where she was going, she told me she was shifting to some new place. And then she was gone. I felt angry and hurt. I was going to run after her when the newspaper headline caught my eye. Such things don't remain under wraps for long. Jiahad got the job for which I had been rejected. That back stabbing bitch!

I couldn't believe Jia had done it. I trusted her blindly and she took advantage of me. After that project, Jia became a star overnight. I went to her set one day to seek explanation for her behaviour but she refused to recognise me. She told the security to kick me out. I was so let down. I started having suicidal thoughts. I was thinking of leaving Mumbai and go back and do whatever my aunt said. That was when I met Ravi. He helped me overcome my depression.

He assured me that he would help me in getting my revenge. I hated Jia. I have never hated anyone that much in my life. Everyday I would see her in papers and all I wanted was to strangle her to death.

Ravi had agreed to help but for that we had to get close to her. I started tailing her. And one day I discovered her secret. She had slept with one designer to get assignments. I went to see her one day. When I told her that I knew her secret, she got scared. I had never been happier in my life. I had found a perfect reason to blackmail her. Jia knew her reputation would be gone if the news got out. Naturally I asked her to give me money for keeping my mouth shut.

She obliged. She was super rich and a little bit of money didn't matter to her. I couldn't keep so much money in my bank account as that would have attracted the tax authorities. So Ravi opened a fake charity and we told Jia to divert her funds there. She didn't mind at all. She used it to gain more publicity. Her philantrophic deeds made her more famous.

We continued blackmailing her for few good years and then one day she said she wont give me money. She was scared of bad publicity anymore. She was practically the most wanted model.

That was when we plotted murder. I wanted to harm her. If she hadn't plotted against me, I would have been in her place. I decided that if I didn't get money and fame she didn't deserve either.

Ravi had lot of acquaintances in the fashion industry - makeup men, drivers and others.

We kept a close watch on Jia. We kept a close watch on her movements and took note of her Schedule. We surveyed the neighbourhood closely. Then we realised we could walk in from the back without being spotted easily. We had figured out the lose bricks in the compound wall. I slipped in easily through the hole. It was huge enough for me to crawl inside. The most important part was to break the lock. I picked it very easily and waited for her to come, hiding in her closet. I was careful to use gloves so as not to leave fingerprints. Jia was a fool. She never used any alarm system in her house. She made it really easy for me. She had only one CCTV camera on the front so it didn't capture me entering the house.

I never thought I would get caught. Jia and I had stopped speaking with one another long before she became famous. Nobody knew me. Even you took a long time to make the connection. I knew Jia had a habit of writing a diary. She carried it everywhere. The police had sealed the house already so I decided to check her locker. The manager caught me and I ran away. I was following the investigation very closely through newspapers. I knew the CID was holding interogation with the owner. We broke into the house. I wanted to destroy any possible evidences. But the owner raised alarm and we fled on spot. However we were still hidden in the woods when we saw your female officer. We decided to wait for her to come back. Then we attacked her and took the diary. I wasn't aware of the photograph in her pocket." said Divya.

'Where is Ravi?' asked Daya.

'I don't know!' said Divya becoming hysterical. 'He has not done anything! Leave him alone!'

'Divya you are lying. You did not kill Jia. I think it was Ravi who did it. Now, tell me where he is' said ACP Pradyuman in a dangerous voice.

'I am not lying. I confessed my crime. I killed Jia!' Divya screamed.

'The evidence suggests otherwise Divya. The victim was stabbed with such a force that could have been achieved only by a person with a heavy built and certainly not a frail looking girl like you. Also a close watch at the CCTV footage shows that it was a man who entered Jia's house. Not a girl' said ACP Prdayuman.

'I am not lying' said Divya.

'Sir the police have got hold of Ravi' said Pankaj from the door.

'Good. Now we will know whether you are telling the truth' said ACP Pradyuman.

'I have committed all the crimes. He has not done anything!' wailed Divya.

'He has assisted you in committing the crimes' said Daya.

'No, please don't arrest him. Please!' pleaded Divya.

'One last question, Divya' said ACP Pradyuman ignoring her pleadings. 'Where did you hide the murder weapon?'

'I don't know what he did with the murder weapon. He told me he wiped the blood clean after the crime and -'

Divya stopped talking abruptly realising she had gone too far. She looked up and saw ACP giving her a satisfied smile.

 **O-o-o-o**

The next few hours, everyone was busy preparing case reports while ACP Pradyuman spoke to DCP and the press over the phone. Finally the case was solved.

Ravi confessed that it was him who had murdered Jia. Divya had been shadowing him because she was in love with him and did not want him to suffer.

At last, they left the bureau at 3 am.

Daya had offered to drive Shreya home and she had accepted his offer feeling grateful.

'I am relieved that the case is over. It was really a pain in the ass' said Shreya.

'ACP sir was happy with the way you handled the case. Especially after a two year gap. And I think the same too' said Daya.

'Thank you' said Shreya smiling at him.

'So what next?' she asked him.

'I am going back to day after tomorrow to Delhi' said Daya.

'What?' Shreya asked sounding surprised.

'Yeah, DCP wants me back there.' said Daya.

'So I won't be seeing you so often' she said looking crestfallen.

'That depends' said Daya.

'What do you mean?' asked Shreya.

'You know very well Shreya. I think we can make this work. We are mature enough. We have learnt from our past mistakes. All I am asking for is one chance' said Daya

'I'll have to think this over Daya. I really don't know' said Shreya.

'Is it so difficult? We both were that night when we lost control-'

'Daya please. I told you. I will have to think it over.' said Shreya.

'Alright' said Daya curtly as he stopped the car in front of her apartment. 'I am not getting late. I can wait.' he said.

'What? I am not telling you anything tonight' said Shreya.

'It isn't really that difficult. You have to answer yes or no. That's all' said Daya.

'We had agreed to stay friends Daya! Why are you making this so complicated?' said Shreya.

'I doubt whether I would be able to stay friends with you. My intentions are very different. I have made myself quite clear I think' he said with a meaningful look at her. 'Besides you are not married to Sid. You don't love anyone else. Forget love. You don't even have a crush on anyone-'

'You don't know that!' said Shreya feeling annoyed.

'I do. I know you don't have anyone else in your life apart from me' said Daya.

'I am leaving' she said flatly. She wanted to be alone. Being under his scrutiny made it really awkward for her.

'Sure' said Daya.

'Promise me Daya. Whatever decision we take we will atleast remain friends' she said.

'I have made my decision. It's your turn now' said Daya. 'And I really can't promise that I will remain friends with you. What I mean is I cannot guarantee you that I will behave like a friend' he said which made her go red in face.

'Bye' she said getting out of the car. 'I'll see you tomorrow I guess in the bureau' she said and walked away leaving Daya staring after her.

He wanted to reach out to her. He wanted to make her understand that he wouldn't leave her alone this time. That he cared for her. And he loved her. There was nothing to think about it. He knew they were perfect for each other.

 **O-o-o-o**

Some time ago, Shreya had been feeling tired and sleepy. But the conversation with him had given her something to think. She had a decision to make. She knew she was in love with him. She reallt couldn't help falling for him. But could she trust him now? What if he walked away later? She knew she wouldn't be able to handle heartbreak anymore. She stood under the shower closing her, warm water soaking her skin. She didn't realise how many minutes had passed until the bell rang and she came back to her senses.

Hoping it wasn't someone from the bureau, she wrapped herself in her bathrobe and opened the door.

'Daya? What are you doing here?' she asked in surprise.

'I forgot something' he said.

'What?' she asked.

He simply leaned in and kissed her. To his immense relief and surprise, she made no efforts to pull away from him and instead moved her lips against his. She melted into him, delighted by the way his lips felt on hers. 'What the hell are you doing?' she asked.

'Kissing you.' answered Daya.

'How dare you!' she said outrageously.

'I thought you must have made your decision by now' he said.

'I haven't' she said.

'So why didn't you stop me from kissing you?' asked Daya.

'You forced me to kiss you' she said.

'Liar! You could have pulled away. But your were enjoying it' said Daya.

'Let's not pretend, Shreya. I am tired of playing this game' said Daya.

'Go away' she said.

'Shreya... please stop. I want to end this discussion once and for all. I know you told me that you wanted time. But I couldn't wait. I have to know what you are thinking.' he said holding both her hands.

Suddenly she was crying her heart out onto his arms, venting out all her anger and frustration which she had accumulated in past two years.

He comforted her in a soothing voice and she finally calmed down settling herslef into his arms.

I knew you didn't marry Siddharth long before you told me' said Daya.

'What? How?' asked Shreya sounding stunned.

'Siddharth had told me. Few days after you left, he had called me. I was hesitant to pick up his call. I thought he must be calling to invite me for your wedding. I am glad I decided to speak to him coz he told me that he isn't getting married to you and that he thinks you still love me' said Daya.

'What?! This isn't fair! He never spoke to me about this. So what did you say to him?' asked Shreya

'I said that was a correct decision he had taken because I love you and you love me too!' said Daya simply.

'Oh!' said Shreya blushing furiously.

'Why didn't you try to contact me then?' asked Shreya.

'I decided we should give ourselves some time. You were heart broken and angry. I knew Abhijeet and Purvi knew your secret and they tried their best to keep it from me. But I had found out from Siddhart already' said Daya.

'First few days were so bad. I used to shut myself in a room. I had even planned to run away and come back. I longed to be on your arms. As days passed the ache reduced somewhat but I would have never forgotten you or whatever we shared. Never.' said Shreya.

'I know that. Even I couldn't shut away those memories. I immersed myself in work and didn't allow my mind to venture towards you. I was amazed that you agreed to come back. When ACP sir told me you had agreed to work with me I was so happy. At the same time I was a little scared that maybe you have really moved on. But when you came wearing that fake ring, I knew the truth. That's when I decided this time I won't let you slip through my fingers again' said Daya.

'What if I had found someone else in those two years?' asked Shreya.

'I knew you wouldn't' said Daya smiling.

'How could you be so sure?' asked Shreya.

'Coz we were meant to be. together' said Daya.

Shreya stared at him, her heart pounding violently.

'Can you trust me now, Shreya?' he asked.

'I do. I always have in the back of my mind. It's just that I was too scared.' she said.

"I won't hurt you Shreya. Trust me" said Daya.

She embraced him tightly. 'I missed you so much. You know with Siddharth it never felt right. But with you...' she said looking at him with adoration.

'With me?' he prompted.

'It feels perfect' she said kissing him on the cheek.

 ***** THE END *****


End file.
